Forever Home
by momoxtoshiro
Summary: A girl with no one to call her friend finds someone who will stay by her side. An abused cat with a tragic past finds safety and joy in a new home. But time isn't on their side, and even a miracle may not save them. This is the story of their race against time, the journey that will test their emotions, and the struggle that will keep them together, or tear them apart forever.
1. Second Chance

**This was an idea I've wanted to write ever since dashingicecream came up with the idea for the AU. You can find artwork and information about it on her blog under the tag "cat!au" and I'll be giving information in this fic as it suits the story! Most of what happens here is just my interpretation of what could happen in this AU, but Dash makes the rules for her own AU, so don't necessarily consider the events of this fic to be canon!**

 **ChuckleBrotherz was kind enough to commission this story from me! Thank you soooo much for all the support!**

 **If you like my work, please support me on P-a-t-r-e-o-n as Kiria Alice!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.**

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Forever Home

Chapter 1. Second Chance

Weiss Schnee was a very hardworking young girl.

Even at a young age, she never shirked her responsibilities or assignments, no matter how menial the task.

She grew up in a rather strict household, where success in business and profession was highly favored, even perhaps above personal happiness.

That wasn't to say it was a bad life, not at all. It simply tended to get a little stressful at times.

But Weiss had been conditioned to stress and pressure early on, so that it wouldn't affect her as strongly in future years.

She always strived to work hard like her older sister. Winter had excelled in school, and Weiss wanted to do just as well as she had, if not better.

Due to her intense focus on schoolwork and chores, Weiss didn't have very many friends. People she knew from her classes were acquaintances at best, but no one was ever on a level she'd consider being close to her.

She'd been invited to a few sleepovers or birthday parties here and there, but when she asked her father if she might attend, his response was always the same. He'd tell her she didn't have time to waste on such things, that she should be studying instead. Similarly, he didn't allow her to bring classmates over to visit, for fear of a rambunctious accident that might cost him.

So as she grew up, Weiss' best friend was her older sister Winter.

But not even she could always be there for Weiss.

Winter would always do her best to support Weiss, but as she herself got older, her own responsibilities began piling up higher and higher. Winter never meant to brush her younger sister off, but sometimes it really was necessary. She'd often try to make things up to Weiss later, because she always felt guilty about having to deny her at the time of Weiss' request.

By the time she was seven years old, Weiss truly felt like she didn't have any friends at all. The kids at school tended to avoid her, now that they knew her personality. Whenever they'd ask her to hang out with them or invite her over, she'd always say no to everyone.

So they began ignoring her, not even bothering to ask or interact with her in the first place. They said she was cold-hearted and antisocial, that she loved her father's money and her good grades more than her relationships.

The kids at school began avoiding Weiss, until it was very clear to her that she was an outcast. She always sat alone, ate alone, and played alone.

It was often the same at home as well.

Winter was in high school now, and when she wasn't working on assignments or projects, she was working part-time at a local restaurant. Weiss only got to see her briefly every day, and sometimes not at all.

Her father left early in the mornings for work, so Weiss often missed him at the table.

If she was lucky, she'd get to see them both at dinner on weekends, but that was all.

She was lonely.

She wished she could have friends like all the other kids in school did.

She wished she could go out and have fun with people like Winter did.

She wanted someone who could always be there for her.

She wanted a friend.

And so, when her eight birthday neared at the end of the year, that was what she told her father.

He approached her while she was studying on the living room couch and asked her up front.

"What would you like for your birthday this year?"

He might've been aloof as a father sometimes, but there was one thing he never failed to do, and that was use his money to spoil his daughters. He wanted to make sure everyone else in town knew how wealthy he was, and he wanted his daughters to boast and brag about his riches and how well he treated them.

Weiss peered up at him and put her textbook aside. She'd been thinking this answer over for a while now, and she was intent to give it to him.

Shuffling her feet, the young girl clasped her hands together in her lap nervously as she met her father's gaze.

"Papa... I... I want a kitten."

Now, she'd been living in her father's household all her life, for almost nine years. She knew his policy on pets.

He didn't like the fur on his carpets and couches. He didn't like the claw marks on his curtains and tapestries. He didn't like the smell of the litter or food.

They'd never owned a pet of any kind before, not even a fish. And the one rare time Weiss had visited a classmate's house and interacted with a cat, it had scratched her over her eye and left her with a permanent scar.

Weiss knew rejection of her request was all too likely, so she earnestly continued before he could respond.

"Please, Papa. I'll take care of it myself. I'll pay for everything. I'll pay for all the litter and toys and food and vet bills. I'll make sure to clean up after it no matter what. I'll play with it every day and make sure to keep it out of trouble. I'll do whatever I have to, Papa. Please."

The man was already looking skeptical, a firm frown set on his lips.

"Now see here," he began. "Animals have no reason to be inside this house. It would ruin my image, and my furniture as well. It would leave a stench wherever it went. I simply can't allow an animal to live in this house. You understand, don't you?"

Weiss bit her lip, feeling a swell of tears coming on.

"But Papa-"

"What seems to be the problem here, Father?"

Both Weiss and her father directed their attention to the threshold of the living room, where Winter now stood. She met their father's gaze and inquired further.

"Weiss wants a kitten. What's so bad about that, Father? She said she'd pay for everything herself and keep it clean and healthy. That's all you really need if we were to get a pet, right?"

Weiss caught her sister's eyes briefly, realizing her older sister was on her side, trying to support her on this very important matter. Weiss quickly jumped back into the conversation.

"Yes, Papa! I'll do everything myself! I won't let it distract me from my schoolwork and chores, either. If you let me get a kitten, I'll never need anything else for my birthdays ever again!"

"Father, please," Winter went on. "Weiss works so hard. Don't you think she deserves this? Let her prove herself to you. Give her a chance."

The man looked back and forth between his daughters. Of course, he was most concerned with his image and his wealth, but despite the front he gave off to the public, he wasn't truly a mean man.

He was silent for a few minutes, and during that time, Winter went over to sit beside Weiss on the couch, putting an arm around her. Weiss flicked her a quick glance, silently thanking her for the support on this matter.

Winter felt it was the least she could do. Since she'd be swamped with higher-level schoolwork in the future, she knew she wouldn't be able to be by Weiss' side as often as they might like. Therefore, she felt it was only fair to try and help her younger sister get a companion for herself.

At long last, after much sighing and grunting under his breath, their father gave his reply.

"Very well."

Weiss' jaw went slack, and a small, excited gasp flew from her lungs. She almost went limp in Winter's arms, swaying just a little bit before she jumped up from the couch.

"R-Really? Papa, do you really mean it?"

"Now listen here," he said quickly. "The deal you proposed was that you'd pay for everything yourself, so you're to keep to that. But I won't allow you to spend any of your allowance money on this. You must put your allowance earnings towards future schooling funds regardless, am I clear?"

Weiss nodded instantly.

"Yes, Papa."

"Hold on," Winter cut in. "If she can't use her own allowance, and she's still got to pay for everything herself, how is she going to afford the cat?"

Their father shrugged.

"She's old enough to start pulling weeds. It might take a bit of time, but if she keeps up a steady amount of work for her income, I don't see any reason as to why she shouldn't be able to afford this animal by her next birthday."

Weiss' eyes were already beginning to sparkle at the thought of seeing her dream become reality.

And she'd see it through with her own two hands, as well.

"Thank you, Papa! I'll start looking for a job tomorrow! I'll save up all the money I'll need for a kitten! Thank you so much!"

She rushed forward to throw her arms around him. He was a little surprised by the action, but before he could respond, Weiss had already pulled away and dashed back over to embrace her sister as well.

"Thank you," she murmured to her.

Winter smiled, kissed her cheek, and hugged her in return.

"It's the least I could do."

With that, Weiss scurried off up to her room, too excited to go back to her studies for now.

That left her sister and father alone together. Winter stood from the couch and crossed her arms, giving him a small glare.

"Making her pay for her own birthday present..."

"It will be much more rewarding for her this way. Plus, it will ensure she can't purchase the little devil until next year, which will give me some time to prepare myself for it..."

Winter rolled her eyes.

"All right, but the kitten is her present _next_ year. What about this year?"

The man grunted.

"What would she like?"

"You're hopeless..."

As Winter headed into the kitchen with their father to discuss potential presents for Weiss this year, Weiss herself burst into her room and threw herself merrily onto her mattress. She squealed and curled up, overjoyed and bubbling with excitement.

"Papa said yes! He said yes! I can have a kitten next year! So long as I work hard..." She sat herself up, determined and ready. "I've worked hard all my life. Papa has said so himself. I can work hard for this, too. I absolutely will."

And so she did.

It was a little difficult for such a young girl to be able to find work right away, especially when she still had her schoolwork and chores at home to consider.

But she was a Schnee, and she was stubborn and determined by nature.

Weiss wasn't ashamed to get down on her knees and pull weeds for the neighbors as her father had suggested. She didn't mind getting dirty or touching worms and bugs if she had to. She just made sure to wear old clothing that could be stained without consequence, and if the adults didn't provide gloves for her, Weiss would bring some for herself from their own gardening shed.

She was very thorough with her work, but she was also very quick with it. She never left a single weed standing, but she was also very careful never to pull up good flowers, either.

Weiss worked whenever she could, at a very low rate. Sometimes, she would only earn five dollars a week, especially during the colder months when there were fewer weeds to pull.

When it snowed, she opted to shovel sidewalks, since driveways were too big a task for her to tackle. She'd shovel her neighbors' front steps or make a path for the mailman.

The snow shoveling earned her a bit more money, and sometimes she would be paid a little more for working quickly or for doing a very good job.

When she had a break from school for the holidays, she worked whenever someone would give her the opportunity. She'd tell her neighbors she was saving up her money to get a kitten. Some of them sympathized, said she was well-deserving of such a gift, and would pay her a little extra to help her reach her goal.

When the frost thawed and spring blossomed once again, so too did the weeds. Weiss was finding more and more work in the warmer days now. In addition to pulling up weeds, she would also rake leaves or water plants.

She always stayed within the neighborhood, near enough to home that her family would know if she ever got hurt. But she never did, nothing more serious than a scraped knee or pricked finger.

Weiss didn't let anything get in her way. She worked in the afternoons after school, and on weekend mornings. She did as her father had told her to and kept putting her monthly allowance into her savings account, never taking so much as a penny's worth out for the cost of her future kitten.

While Weiss worked hard to meet her goal, Winter was sure to keep tabs on their father, constantly reminding him how well Weiss was doing and making sure he didn't intend to go back on his word.

Weiss worked very hard that year. She never let her grades suffer, and she never missed a single day of classes, not even when she caught a cold from working outside in the rain one evening.

The kids at her school would sometimes taunt her for sitting in the dirt and pulling up weeds, but she never let them get to her. She just kept thinking about her kitten, and all the things she would do for it.

She kept track of her money very well. She'd set benchmarks for her expenses, the biggest and most obvious one being to cover the cost of the kitten itself. Once she'd reached that goal, she saved up enough money to buy a litter box, and multiple bags of litter. She set a goal that would ensure she could buy cat toys and food for months in advance.

Of course, she intended to keep working even after she got her kitten, but she wanted to make more money than she'd immediately need so she could feel secure about the kitten's future.

Once school was over that year, Weiss had more time to work. On rainy days, she'd do some of her summer homework, and on sunny days she'd be out the door to water gardens.

Some of the neighbors had outdoor cats that would stroll up to greet her. A few of them even laid down in the sun beside her as she worked. Whenever that happened, it only motivated her to work harder for the sake of one day having a cat of her own.

She worked tirelessly for nearly an entire year, never once missing an opportunity where she might be able to earn a bit of money.

In this manner, Weiss was able to gather up her savings that autumn and present them to her father.

He was impressed with what she'd saved up, and even more so by the fact that she hadn't spent a single penny of her allowance to achieve this sum.

Therefore, he kept to his end of the promise.

"We'll go out this weekend and you may make a selection."

Weiss squealed and threw her arms around him, thanking him profusely. Winter hadn't been far away at the time, and she was ready for her sister when Weiss came running to her as well, crying with joy.

By this time, Weiss' father had steeled himself to the idea of having a kitten in the house. He talked things over with Weiss that evening, asking her that she keep the cat out of certain rooms where the most expensive furniture or trinkets were displayed. Weiss readily agreed to this, and also to keeping the cat in her room whenever they had company over who might dislike its presence.

They talked for about an hour about the necessary conditions that would be implemented once the kitten stepped paw into the house, before he sent her off to bed.

There were still a few more weekdays left, during which her father needed to work. Therefore, during those days, Winter walked with Weiss down to the local stores and shopped around with her for a bit.

With Weiss' money, they purchased a cat carrier to take the kitten home with, as well as a few toys, and a few weeks' worth of food. Weiss also selected a litter bin and a bag of litter, a scratching mat, a few blankets, and a cat bed as well.

To her surprise, at the register, Winter ended up paying for half the cost.

"Don't tell Father," she told Weiss. "This can be our little secret."

Weiss hugged her tightly and thanked her very much.

Once they arrived back home, they set everything up in a small, majorly unused room of the house, which their father had indicated would be the kitten's main territory. The small den was near Weiss' room, so it was the perfect arrangement.

They set up the litter box in the corner and poured out some grains into it. They spread newspapers underneath it to keep the hardwood floor as clean as possible.

Weiss set up the scratching mat in the center of the room on an old carpet that wouldn't mind getting a little shredded. She put the toys in a bag up on a shelf for now, then fetched a towel to lay beneath the food and water dishes.

She then placed the cat bed to one side of the room, angling it just right so the kitten would be able to see out one of the windows when it curled up. She also put a small stool beneath that window, so it could jump up and watch the birds whenever it pleased.

Once they'd finished setting up the room, Winter and Weiss were satisfied that it would do just fine.

When their father came home, he made a few minor adjustments to the layout, but ultimately agreed that it was favorable.

Then, Weiss just had to wait...

* * *

Two days later, on Saturday morning, Weiss jumped out of bed early, got dressed, and ate breakfast more quickly than she'd ever done before in her life.

Winter and her father ate at their leisure though, which made Weiss all the more antsy and eager to go. She kept fidgeting in her seat at the table, pulling at her dress, and fiddling with her hair. Winter chuckled behind her morning coffee.

"Calm down, Weiss. It's not like they're going to run out of kittens. There will always be kittens to adopt."

"I know. I'm just so excited!" Her eyes were sparkling, and it admittedly motivated her family to finish up their meal a little more quickly.

At long last, Weiss found herself in her father's car with Winter at her side, being driven into town. Weiss had never looked out the window as enthusiastically as she did that day.

But as she watched, she started to recognize where her father was driving them to, and spoke up in confusion.

"Papa? Where are we going?"

He raised an eyebrow, but didn't look back at her.

"We're going to the pet store."

"Oh, but Papa!" Weiss gasped. "I wanted to adopt a kitten! Can we go to the shelter instead?"

The man grimaced a bit.

"The animals at the shelter are filthy. If I must subject myself to having an animal roam around my house, I should hope it will be one that represents us. You should get a pedigree, a pure-bred. Perhaps an Atlesian Blue."

"But Papa..." She slouched back in her seat, her voice dying off into a whimper. "People buy pet store animals every day, but they almost never adopt them from the shelter. If they don't get adopted on time, the workers kill them! I want to save one, Papa! I want to adopt one. Please?"

He slowed the car down a little bit and said nothing. Winter put an arm around her sister, who was becoming upset. She flashed a glare at their father through the rear-view mirror.

"Father."

With that single word, Winter reminded him of his promise to let Weiss choose her own kitten.

If nothing else, he was a man of his word. He heaved a great sigh, but turned the car away from the pet store.

"Very well."

Weiss sobbed in relief.

"Oh, thank you, Papa! Thank you so much!"

The man heaved a small sigh as he resigned himself to his fate of having a less desirable cat in his home. Winter flashed a smile at him through the mirror, proud that he was letting Weiss do as she pleased.

Several minutes later, they pulled into the small parking lot of a humble-looking building. Outside of it was a sign that read _**Atlas Animal Shelter**_.

Weiss had already unbuckled her seatbelt even before the car had been parked. Once it was still, she fumbled with her door and jumped out immediately, bouncing up and down in place, her small purse filled with all the money she'd earned hanging from her shoulder. Winter got out after her, and removed the cat carrier crate, offering to hold onto it as they went inside.

Their father led the way down the small concrete sidewalk, which brought them to the door of the building. There were photos on a bulletin board of some of the cats and dogs that had previously been adopted from this shelter and who were now living happily with their new families.

Weiss was thrilled to think that she'd soon be able to put a new photo onto that board.

They paused, knocked, and waited for a moment, until a woman answered the door. She had her light blonde hair tied into a messy bun, and a pair of glasses sat on her nose. She looked professional, which was a bit of an odd appearance for someone working at an animal shelter.

"Hello," she greeted them. "How can I help you today?"

Weiss answered right away.

"We'd like to adopt!"

The woman's face instantly brightened, and her stern expression softened just a bit.

"Is that so? Well, I'm very glad to hear that. Please come inside. But mind the door, some of our cats are out of their cages."

She ushered them in one by one, the girls scurrying in without hesitation, though their father seemed reluctant to step into a room where straying furs might cling to his suit.

The woman brought them into a room full of at least a dozen small cages, most of which were filled with all different sizes and colors of cats. A few cats were loose in the room and were presently climbing on a small cat tree, or sleeping in little plush beds. They all peered wide-eyed at the newcomers, and a few of them even scurried over to curl around their ankles in greeting.

While Weiss' father pulled away, his daughters bent down to pet and greet the cats in return.

The woman smiled.

"I'm assuming you're here to adopt a cat, am I correct?"

"Yes!" Weiss jumped back up to her feet, her eyes sparkling. The woman nodded.

"That's a relief to hear. We only have two dogs right now, but we have almost twenty cats. Myself and some of the other volunteers are fostering some at our own houses right now. My name is Glynda, by the way."

"Miss Glynda?" Weiss said. "I want to adopt a cat so you don't have to put it to sleep. Whichever one is closest to being put to sleep, I want to adopt it."

Glynda's eyes widened a little bit, and her expression changed from stern to soft.

"I'm very glad to hear that. But we're actually not a kill shelter. If we get overcrowded, our volunteers will foster some of our cats or we'll give them to other non-kill shelters to look after. So you don't have to worry about that."

Weiss had been firm and determined until this point, but now that she knew none of these cats were on death row, she relaxed.

"That's great! That's wonderful to hear!"

"Weiss, come have a look," Winter coaxed her. "May we play with them a bit?"

Glynda nodded

"Of course. Please do."

With permission given, the two girls each picked up some of the toys lying around and began playing with the cats who were out of their cages.

There was a chubby tabby cat, a slender ginger cat, a cat that was all white except for a raccoon-striped tail, several brown and black cats, and all combinations of the colors.

There was also a cage where four black and white kittens were mewling and bumbling around, trying to play with the toys from behind the cage bars. Weiss' father nodded to those.

"Weiss, look there. Didn't you want a kitten? Why don't you choose from those and we can be on our way."

Weiss went over to that cage and looked inside at the four tiny bundles of fur. They mewled and squealed and stuck out their tiny paws. Winter and Weiss cooed and gently stroked their fingers over the animals' fur. But before Weiss could say anything, Glynda spoke first.

"I'm afraid those kittens aren't up for adoption just yet. We only just got them in a few days ago, and we still have to get them to the vet for their shots. Will this be your family's first time owning a cat?"

"Yes," the man replied.

"Then I wouldn't suggest a kitten right off the bat, anyway. I'd recommend an older cat, one that's spent some portion of its life already in a household, not a shelter. A cat like that would adapt to life in your house much more quickly than a younger cat who's only ever known shelter life. Besides, kittens get adopted all the time. Older cats rarely ever do. Most of them die in shelters."

Weiss frowned at the thought, but it only fueled her determination to rescue one of these animals.

"That makes sense. Which cats are the older ones?"

Glynda pointed out several cages and their occupants. The chubby tabby out of his cage was also rather old, but Glynda informed them he was already going to be adopted in another week or so.

As the girls looked around and continued playing with the cats a bit, Glynda pressed their father further.

"How would you feel about de-clawing, sir?"

He sighed.

"I'd been considering it, but my daughters won't allow it."

"Yes," Weiss chimed in. "We can't de-claw them! For a person, that's like taking off half our fingers! It hurts them a lot!"

"Not to mention," Winter added. "Then walking becomes painful for them. The litter in the box hurts, so they won't use it. De-clawing will just cause all kinds of problems, and it's inhumane to begin with. So absolutely not."

Their father nodded to Glynda.

"So there you have it."

The woman was highly pleased.

"Well, I'm glad you all seem to be so well-educated on this matter. We won't ever adopt our cats out to people considering de-clawing. That little fellow over there was actually de-clawed by his previous owners," she said, nodding to a black tomcat. "One of our volunteers heard the news around town and we ended up taking him back from them. Now since he's de-clawed, he has special needs, so we're waiting for someone to come along who can treat him right. Now, what about letting your cat outside?"

"No!" Weiss gasped. "It could get hit by a car! Or killed by a dog!"

"And we wouldn't want to risk fleas or dirt in the house," Winter added in.

Again, Glynda nodded in approval.

"Very good to hear. Cats who are let outdoors are highly susceptible to all kinds of diseases, which will only cost you money at the vet's office. They're more likely to be injured or killed by other cats, wild animals, dogs, cars, or people. Cats who live their lives indoors typically live healthier lives, and usually double the amount of years of an outdoor cat."

She continued to talk for a while about cat trivia, informing the family on how to best choose and care for a cat fit for their house.

As Winter played with some of the loose cats, Weiss went to the cages Glynda had indicated and asked about each cat inside.

She looked at an older white queen, a pair of tabby toms, a few grey and tuxedos. Some seemed energetic, and others seemed lax. Weiss knew her father would prefer a cat that wasn't too rambunctious or might risk damaging things around the house. She wanted a cat she could play with, but also one that would behave, so she wouldn't have to worry about her father getting upset and making her give it back to the shelter.

Weiss went from cage to cage, reading the small notices on the outsides of the bars that said the cats' names, ages, and dietary preferences. She had to avoid ones with special, expensive diets, since she'd be paying for everything herself.

There were cats with short fur, and cats with fluffy fur.

There were cats with green eyes and cats with blue eyes.

But there was one set of eyes that stood out to her.

As soon as Weiss walked up to that last cage Glynda had pointed to, she all but froze.

In the back of the cage, huddled up in the shadows inside a small, soft bed, she could just barely make out the shape of a cat.

Its fur was jet-black, so that Weiss almost didn't see it in the shadows. But she saw one of the ears flick, and then the head turned.

Two deep golden eyes blinked up at her.

At first, the cat's eyes were just opening, as if from sleep, and it was docile. But not a second later, the eyes narrowed into slits and the cat growled, hissing defensively as it pressed itself back into the far corner of the cage.

Weiss recoiled, startled, because this was the only cat that had hissed at her. Glynda came over to her and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Oh, you'll have to pardon her," she said softly. "She's been through a lot. Poor thing..."

Weiss looked at the little note card outside the black cat's cage. She was a 9-year-old female, and her name was Blake.

Weiss swallowed, and softly raised the question.

"What happened to her?"

Glynda sighed and shook her head sadly.

"Her previous owner was a very bad man. After we got her and took her to a vet to be examined, the vet said the man had always been abusing her, for years. He liked to kick her and grab her by the scruff of the neck. She lived with him nearly all of her life. He never let her outside, because he didn't want her to run away. He wanted to keep hurting her for as long as he could."

She paused for a moment, and Weiss felt the woman's grip on her shoulder tighten. Weiss could feel stinging tears already dripping down her face.

"That's... that's horrible... Wh-What happened to the mean man?"

Glynda patted the girl's shoulder and went on.

"A police officer heard the man screaming one day. He was shouting so loud, the officer heard him even from outside the house. The officer knocked on the door to investigate, and as soon as he opened the door, he saw this skinny little cat lying on the floor, half-dead.

"He arrested the man for animal cruelty, and we brought Blake to a vet. She only just got released from the vet last week. But after nine years of living with that awful man, she doesn't like people anymore. You can't blame her."

Weiss was sobbing by the time she'd heard all of Blake's story. She buried her face into her hands and wept for a minute or so. Winter came to her and pulled her into a long embrace. The older girl continued asking questions in her stead.

"How is the cat now? Physically, I mean?"

"Physically, she's almost all better. We just need to get a bit more food into her. There's a chink missing from her left ear that will never heal, probably an injury from when that man struck her. But the physical damage is minor. It's the psychological scars that will remain."

Weiss managed to stop crying long enough to pull herself away from her sister's chest. She reached up to her own face, where her classmate's cat had left a physical scar over her left eye when she was very young.

"So... that cat is a little bit like me... and she's the same age as me..." Her mind was already made up, and her family knew as much. Weiss straightened up and looked to her father. "Papa... this is the cat I want to adopt."

After hearing the horrific story of this cat's life, even he couldn't remain stoic about the matter.

"I see. But I believe it might be a bit difficult."

However, Glynda didn't entirely agree.

"I'd argue," she began. "That perhaps it might take her a while to warm up to you all. She'll probably hide a lot for the first few weeks or so. But she's already housebroken. She always uses her litter box, and she eats well. She isn't sick, and even though she might hiss or growl, she'll never swat or bite you. She has a very good temper and disposition. The only thing you'll see from her is a lack of immediate affection. But over time, she should come around, once she knows she can trust you to keep her safe and treat her well."

Weiss nodded vigorously, still wiping her eyes to clear away the tears.

"Yes! We'll be kind to her! We'll give her a good home and a good life! I swear we will!"

Glynda smiled and patted the girl's head.

"Thank you very much for giving her a second chance. Now then, there are just a few more things we need to discuss..."

Glynda addressed all three of them as she spoke about Blake's unique situation, and how they should go about interacting with her in the beginning. She spoke of when and how to feed her and clean up after her. Weiss listened to everything intently, since she would be in charge of Blake.

Glynda spoke for a little while longer. Winter, and even their father, was paying attention to what the woman was saying.

They had to fill out a few forms and some paperwork, and Glynda gave them all of Blake's previous veterinary bills to keep a record.

Then, at long last, Glynda took the carrier from Winter and opened the door to it. She unlocked Blake's cage, causing the cat to bristle and growl. But Blake never lashed out or bit Glynda even as she reached in to pick her up.

The woman soothed the cat as best she could, murmuring softly to her. Blake hissed and squirmed, hating the touch of the human's hands on her.

Weiss stayed back as much as she could, but reached out her hand toward Blake as she was being put into the crate.

Their eyes met, and Weiss smiled.

Blake seemed to become still as she gave Weiss' fingertips a small sniff.

"There," Weiss whispered. "You're a good girl. You're such a pretty girl, Blake. I promise I'll take good care of you."

Blake stopped growling for a moment.

Glynda managed to get her into the crate and secured the door.

"You're in good hands," she said to the cat. "You don't have to suffer or be alone anymore."

Weiss requested that they be able to take one of Blake's blankets home with them, so she would feel more comfortable with it. Glynda readily agreed.

She pulled the purple blanket out of Blake's cage, and instead put it into the carrier with her. The cat growled a little bit and hid in the back of the crate nervously. But Weiss sat down in front of her and reached her fingers in again.

"It's okay. It might be a little scary right now, but I promise you, I'll take good care of you, Blake. You're finally coming home. To your forever home!"

The cat looked out at her through the crate's bars and blinked slowly.

Somehow, Weiss believed she understood those words, because Blake didn't hiss or growl anymore.

Weiss paid the adoption fee, and received profuse thanks from Glynda. Weiss promised she'd never bring Blake back here or give her up. She promised to care for her as best she could, and to never hurt her.

By the time they walked out of the shelter, with Winter carrying the crate, even their father seemed content.

Weiss sat in the back seat of the car, herself and Winter each holding onto the crate between them to keep it steady.

All the ride back, Weiss kept excitedly whispering to her new friend.

"I'll take good care of you, Blake. I promise."

The cat's chinked ear gave a little flick, and her whiskers twitched.

Weiss believed that was Blake's way of smiling.

* * *

 **A/N: My mother works at a cat shelter, so all of these things Glynda's told Weiss are true and I know it for a fact! I _might_ have used this chapter to promote healthy cat adoption tendencies, ahaha. But yes, don't declaw them, don't let them outside. Please be kind and considerate to your pets and keep them safe and healthy!**

 **Weiss' father's comment of getting an Atlesian Blue was a reference to Russian Blues, which were considered royalty's cats. But in the fic, they live it Atlas, so I changed up the name accordingly.**

 **And yes, Blake's abusive human was meant to be Adam.**

 **This is only the beginning of a very long, trying journey for Weiss and Blake. And in the next chapter, you'll see they certainly aren't alone in it, not at all!**

 **If you like my work, please support me on P-a-t-r-e-o-n as Kiria Alice!**

 **Please review!**


	2. Learning To Trust

**Now, we'll see things from Blake's point of view. If you've seen Dash's art and know about her ideas for this AU, you'll know it isn't simply a normal-life story. Of course there's a bit of magic involved as well!**

 **If you like my work, please support me on P-a-t-r-e-o-n as Kiria Alice!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.**

* * *

Chapter 2. Learning To Trust

The cat didn't know what to make of all this.

So much had changed within the recent days, and she'd thought that perhaps life might be getting a little better.

But right now, her belly was feeling funny as the crate she was in was put into a car and started moving.

She could hear the human girls talking, but everything was making the cat dizzy.

So she closed her eyes for a little while, remembering how she'd gotten here...

. . .

She couldn't see any fairies.

Fairies were tiny creatures with wings, almost like butterflies or hummingbirds, though their bodies and faces looked like a miniature human's.

Most animals innately and instinctively knew about the existence and presence of fairies. In fact, there was only one kind of animal who rarely ever saw them:

Humans.

There were rumors that newborn and younger humans could see the fairies, but whenever they spoke of them, the older ones never believed them.

But that was probably for the better, because humans never did anything good whenever they discovered a new species. They'd just trap them, study them, keep them in cages, kill them, and mount them on their walls.

The younger humans could only see the fairies for a few years. But it was believed that the cynical nature and constant denial of the adults disheartened the children, so that by the time they were in their later youth years, they started to believe the adults' declarations that fairies didn't exist.

And so the humans lost the ability to see the fairies.

But all other species still knew of them.

The cat had seen a few of them back at the "shelter", as she'd heard the humans call that place.

There had been four fairies back there.

They were always cleaning things, making them neat and appealing, getting rid of dust and making the cat beds softer.

Fairies only resided in safe, comfortable places, where the air was filled with good intentions, and the humans' hearts were pure.

Those four had been the first fairies the cat had been with in many, many years.

There had been none at the man's house in all the years he'd kept her trapped there.

The window curtains had been closed most of the time. The only glances she'd ever gotten of the outside world had been tiny peeks past the blinds.

Sometimes, the cat had seen the fairies outside from the window, chatting and singing with the birds. Free and unchained.

The cat had called out to them for help many times. But for all those years, no one from the outside - not even the fairies - noticed the cat's horrible predicament.

But one day, after many years, someone had finally heard her.

The cat believed that perhaps the fairies had intervened somehow, eventually.

Once they'd realized she'd been living in fear behind those dark blinds, fairies had snuck into the house and moved the curtains aside a little bit each day.

That way, other humans could see what the man was doing inside his house, hurting the cat.

In this way, the fairies had allowed other humans to witness the atrocities taking place, so they could step in and put a stop to it.

The cat had been carried away, brought to many different places with bright lights and strange scents. They'd poked her with sharp needles, and made her sleep, but as soon as she'd woken, she'd found herself in a soft bed with food and water waiting for her.

It was the first time a human had ever been kind to her.

So she was wary. Very wary.

But the strange woman who had peered in at her and called her "Blake" never touched her when she didn't want to be touched. She let the cat do as she pleased, and never hurt her.

Therefore, the cat decided to adopt the name the woman had given her as thanks.

Blake had stayed in that cage for several days, but it was nothing at all like the cage the man had kept her in before that.

This cage was small, but clean, and it had her own scent to it. There were soft, plush blankets and a little bed for her to curl up in, a foreign feeling to her paw-pads after so many years of cold cellar concrete and rotten, peeling floorboards.

There was a small litter box in the far corner, but most importantly, there was one dish full of water and one full of food.

Blake ate and drank graciously, but always went into hiding whenever the woman came by, just out of habit. She'd lie in her cage and watch and listen to the other cats as they chatted idly to one another.

"Hey, did you hear?" a tabby tom said one day. "I'm getting adopted next week!"

"Really?" a white queen gasped. "Congratulations!"

Blake flicked an ear, curious. She sat herself up and timidly peeked through her cage to make eye contact.

"What... does that mean?"

The tom and queen who were loose from their cages spun around to look up at her.

"Oh hey!" the tabby said. "It's the newcomer! How're ya feeling? The food here's pretty good, don't you think?"

"Yes. It's very good," she mewed. "But what was that word you said? What's going to happen to you next week?"

A bit of fear had crept into her voice. She hoped this didn't mean a human was going to take this tomcat away and hurt him like the man had hurt Blake.

The white queen must have suspected Blake's fears, because she put them to rest.

"It's all right. Being adopted means a nice human is going to take you home with them. We don't have to stay here all our lives. We'll have our own territories, the humans will play with us, and they'll keep us safe! It's quite wonderful!"

Blake flattened her ears and lashed her tail.

"How do you know? How do you know they won't hurt you?"

The white cat softened her voice.

"Not all humans are bad. I know it might seem that way to you, but they're not all like that. Most of them are kind. The woman who cares for us makes sure we go to good homes."

"That's right," added the tom. "And she checks up on us, too. If she finds out the humans aren't treating us right, she gets us outta there and brings us back here."

Blake snorted.

"Well, maybe it's best if I just stay here. I don't want to see any more humans for as long as I live..."

With that, she turned away and curled back up in her bed.

As the other cats played and talked together all day, Blake noticed the fairies there. They would play and talk with the cats as well. Their tinkling laughter was a remedy that could heal even the most scarred of hearts.

Blake felt safe here.

She felt better.

She really thought that staying here her entire life wouldn't be so bad.

. . .

A few nights later, she was woken by a soft tap on her paw.

Blake opened her eyes to find two small fairies looking back at her. One wore a red dress and had short brown hair, her wings tinged with silver to match her eyes. The other wore an orange dress and had long yellow hair, and lavender eyes and wings.

"Oh thank goodness!" the red fairy chirped. "It really _is_ you!"

"We're so glad!" the yellow one said.

Blake sat up. Though it had been a while since she'd interacted with fairies directly, she still knew her manners. She dipped her head to them and inquired of them.

"Hello. Do you know me? I don't think I've met you before."

"We know you, all right!" the yellow one said. "We saw you back when you were trapped with that horrible man!"

Blake flinched at the memories, but then her ears lifted a bit. The chinked one flicked.

"Were you the ones who helped me get away from him?"

The fairies nodded.

"Yeah," the red one said. "As soon as we realized you were in that house, we made sure the curtains were open and we helped the neighbors look and see. Sorry it took us so long. For most of those years, we didn't even know you were living there, since he always locked you away. I wish we could've helped sooner..." The little fairy started sniffling.

Blake bristled in alarm. It was never good to make a fairy cry.

But thankfully, the yellow fairy pulled the red one into a hug to comfort her.

"Hey, it's okay, Ruby! Big sis Yang is here! C'mere!"

As the fairies hugged each other, Blake relaxed and heard them out.

"We're so glad you're okay now," Yang said. "Don't worry. Glynda's a nice lady. She'll make sure you go to good humans."

Blake grunted and turned away.

"I don't want any more humans."

"Don't say that!" Ruby piped. "The other cats were telling the truth! Not all humans are bad! Most of them are good!"

Blake was still skeptical.

"Well, I'd rather not find out. I'm not ready for more humans right now..."

"Maybe..." Ruby mumbled. "But what if a human is ready for you?"

"Huh?"

But when Blake turned back to look at them, the fairies were gone.

* * *

The very next day, the family of humans came into the shelter.

Blake only glimpsed them briefly.

The two young females looked kind enough, because they resembled Glynda in some ways.

But as soon as Blake saw the man, she hissed and hid in the back of her cage.

She was forced to listen to them communicate, though she had no idea what they were saying. She only recognized the word "shelter" and Glynda's name.

From the corner of her eye, she could see the smallest girl walking around to each of the cages. She played with the cats who wanted to play, and didn't bother the cats that wanted to sleep. It seemed she knew how to treat them.

And there was something else, too.

There was a new fairy with her.

Along with Ruby and Yang, two others stayed at the shelter with the cats. But this fairy was one Blake had never seen before.

She had short orange hair and green eyes, and her dress was white like the human girl's hair.

The humans couldn't see them, but Blake watched as Ruby and Yang went over to greet the new fairy and introduce themselves.

"Hello!" she said. "My name is Penny! It's a pleasure to meet you!"

Blake didn't want to eavesdrop though, so she went back to her bed and turned away from the front of the cage, hoping the humans wouldn't look in at her.

But of course, she could hear them approaching her a little more every minute, until the voices were right outside her cage. She gave out a warning hiss to tell them she didn't want to be touched. She lashed her tail and lifted her head, ears flat, fur bristling.

But the sight she viewed when she turned her head wasn't an unnerving one.

The smallest human girl was peering in at her, though she was keeping a good distance between herself and the cage bars. Her eyes were so vibrant, probably the brightest blue Blake had seen in all her years.

The man's house had been dark and gray with barely any color, and since there had been so many trees around it, Blake had rarely ever seen the sky from her perch on the covered windows.

So this girl's eyes were stunning to her. They were like freedom itself. If Blake had wings like a bird or a fairy, she might've mistaken the girl's eyes for a fraction of the sky and tried to fly towards them.

Perhaps that was why she had a fairy with her.

The one named Penny sat on the girl's shoulder, smiling widely at Blake. The cat snorted softly, not wanting to be rude to the fairy, but still wanting to keep the humans at bay.

"Can you make her leave, please?" she requested. "I don't want to be... adopted..."

"Oh, but you should!" Penny exclaimed. "Being adopted is a _wonderful_ thing! And Weiss would take good care of you! She's worked _so_ very hard to get this far! I was with her all the while, so I can say for sure!"

Blake lowered her head again.

"I don't care how hard she worked. The man I used to live with was nice at first, but then he turned into a monster. What if the same thing happens to her? Or her father?" A shudder ran through her as she recalled old memories.

The fairy whimpered softly.

"I'm so sorry that happened to you. But it won't happen again. You might not know this, but fairies only like to stay around people who have pure hearts and good intentions. And I've been with Weiss for nearly her entire life! I know her very well, and I also know she'd _never_ do the horrible things that man did to you. She's a very good and very special girl. I think you'd like her if you gave her a chance."

Blake was silent for a moment, and the humans continued talking to one another. Blake's belly was feeling a little funny, but it wasn't in a bad way, like she'd experienced in the past.

It almost felt like... excitement.

She'd already lived many years of her life, and she couldn't remember the last time she'd felt _that_.

She turned back to look at the human girl, and their eyes locked.

For a moment, Blake was silent. Then-

"What was it?" she mumbled.

"I beg your pardon?" the fairy inquired.

"Her name," Blake clarified. "What is her name?"

"Oh! Her name is Weiss! And she is a very, very good girl."

Blake tried out the name for herself.

" _Weiss_..."

At the same time, the human girl's nonsensical words sounded out in one of the few words of the human language that made any sense to the cat.

" _Blake_..."

In that moment, as they said each other's names, it seemed their new path had been decided.

It wasn't long afterward when Glynda picked Blake up out of her cage very carefully, and put her into a small crate instead.

Blake growled a little bit, just because the last time she'd been put in one of these, it hadn't been a fun experience. But the three fairies reassured her that everything would be all right.

"You'll see!" Yang promised her. "Weiss will take good care of you, and Penny will take good care of Weiss!"

Blake grunted.

"What about you two?"

"We're staying here!" Ruby replied. "We've always stayed here! We really like Miss Glynda and her workers and how kind they are to all the homeless cats and dogs!"

Blake flicked an ear, confused.

"Then how did you two find me when I was so far away in that house?"

"Oh!" Ruby said a little sheepishly. "That was because I'd just wanted to go out for a short flight, but I got lost. Yang came to find me and well..." She looked Blake over with a big smile on her face. "It turned out much better than expected since we got to help you."

Blake felt another sensation rise up in her chest. It prickled a little bit, and it felt strange. She recognized it as sadness.

"I'll miss you two..."

Ruby and Yang nodded and wiped their eyes.

"Yeah..." said the yellow one. "We'll miss you, too. But don't worry! Just because we mainly stay here doesn't mean we don't ever travel! We'll see you again sometime!"

"That's right!" said another voice.

They all looked up to see Penny flitting down from Weiss' shoulder to join them on the ground outside Blake's crate.

"Ruby and Yang and I are good friends! Some days I'll invite them over for tea and they can play with us! I promise, Blake!"

Penny slipped inside the crate and placed her small hand over Blake's front paw.

Another tiny tingle went through Blake. This one was foreign to her, and it made her whiskers twitch.

"What was that? Just now..."

"Oh!" Penny chirped. "I made a promise to you! And when a fairy makes a promise, it _always_ comes true! When I touched you, it sealed the promise, so it will come true no matter what! That thing you're feeling now is called trust! Because you can trust that I'll keep my promise!"

Blake hadn't known that tidbit before. And it had been so long since she'd last felt trust towards someone, she'd all but forgotten what it was.

"Can humans... make promises? Can I trust them? Maybe if they could, I'd feel a little better..."

Penny nodded.

"Yes! Humans make promises all the time! But the thing is... most of the time, they break them. Fairies can't break their promises, because once we make them, they become facts and a part of reality. But humans don't have that kind of power. Their promises break all the time."

Her words disheartened Blake all over again, and her ears drooped. But Penny quickly went on with her speech.

"But don't worry! I don't think Weiss will be bad to you! Ever!"

Blake sighed.

"Can you promise me that? So that way it will become reality?"

Penny frowned and shook her head.

"We can't promise things about _other_ fairies, humans, or animals. We can only promise things about ourselves. That's why I promised _I'd_ invite Ruby and Yang over for tea. Because I can and I _will_ make that happen. I didn't say 'I promise they will come over to have tea with me,' because that would be making a promise _for_ them, in their stead.

"Promises are things you have to fulfill yourself. No one can make a promise for someone else. If a human wants to make a promise to you, they have to do it themselves. Then it's up to them whether they break it or keep it."

Penny's saddened expression began to melt away now, and her smile returned.

"And I know I said a lot of them break their promises. That's unfortunately true. But some of them are able to keep them! And when that happens, it's absolutely _amazing!_ "

Blake still felt skeptical, and she must have looked it too, because Penny went on in earnest.

"I might not be able to make a promise _for_ Weiss, but let me say this; if Weiss were ever to make a promise to you, I'm very certain she would keep it."

Her assurance finally put Blake at ease a little, because firm words from a fairy were not things to be taken lightly.

Penny had lived with Weiss for a long time, she'd said, so she probably knew the human girl better than anyone. If Penny was confident enough to speak so highly of the girl, then Blake had no reason not to believe her.

It seemed the humans were ready to leave, because Blake felt one of them pick up her crate. Before her growls of discomfort at being transported could overtake her, she was sure to give her last few words of gratitude to Ruby and Yang.

"You saved me from that man. You gave me the rest of my life back. Thank you."

"Sorry we didn't come sooner," Yang replied.

"Weiss will take good care of you!" Ruby assured her. "I'll come to visit soon! I promise!"

"I promise, too!" Yang said.

Again, Blake felt that tiny prickle within her chest, the sensation Penny had called "trust".

Blake trusted the words and promises of the fairies. Now, she'd have to wonder if she could do the same for the humans.

As they took her out of the shelter, the other cats called out words of congratulations to her and wished her well. She'd only been there for a few days, but Blake had gotten attached to their voices, presence, and all of their scents.

Now, she'd have to start over again someplace new, someplace she didn't know.

It was all so scary. She didn't think this new family would turn out to be mean like the other man had been. But Blake had only known a few humans in her lifetime.

Glynda and the humans who had taken her out of that house had been kind to her, but almost all of Blake's life up until this point had been spent in fear of humans.

She tried to reassure herself as the bigger girl placed her crate securely into a car. Blake had seen more fairies around these people than she'd ever seen around that awful man. And Penny seemed to like Weiss in particular, enough to travel with her.

As far as Blake knew, fairies tended to stay in the buildings or houses of the people they liked in order to help keep things clean and sprinkle good luck. But it wasn't often that a fairy traveled with a particular human, at least to Blake's limited knowledge.

Blake couldn't see much from inside the crate, but she could tell the human girls were sitting on either side of her, with the man up front. Penny had perched on Weiss' shoulder once again and was positively bubbling with glee.

Blake could tell that Weiss was excited as well.

But even though the girl's energy was clearly at a very high level, she never got extremely loud.

That was another contrast between her and the man. Whenever he'd gotten excited in the past, it had always been linked with anger and negative emotions. He'd always started shouting and barking, and almost every time he would start hitting and kicking Blake.

But this girl was controlling her excitement, and displaying it in a good way. She kept peering in to look at Blake, her bright blue eyes kind and soft. A few times, she offered her hand to the door of the crate, and Blake sniffed her fingers.

Weiss kept talking, and it took Blake a while to realize she was talking to _her_.

When Weiss spoke to the other humans, her voice rose a bit in volume, though it wasn't shouting or screaming – just a normal voice.

But when she spoke to Blake, her voice became softer, gentler, and more soothing.

It eased Blake's anxieties during the car ride where everything was in constant motion. She curled up on her purple blanket in the back of her crate and closed her eyes, deciding to try something.

She could understand Penny's language, and the words that all fairies spoke, but Blake couldn't understand humans very well yet. The sounds they made when they communicated sounded like they could be words, but they didn't make any sense to Blake at all.

But back at the shelter, she'd figured out which sound Glynda had made to make her name, "Blake."

Now, it was the cat's objective to listen intently, and figure out which of the humans' many sounds made the name "Weiss."

Blake had heard it said from the fairies, but the way they pronounced it was entirely different from how the humans said it in their language.

So she did her best to concentrate on their words as they spoke to each other in the car.

Weiss seemed to speak to Blake more than to her family, and whenever she did, the cat admittedly felt more at ease. The girl's voice was very calming in contrast to the strange movements of the car.

Blake listened, trying to make sense of the jumbled sounds and words they were speaking. She could've asked Penny what the name "Weiss" sounded like in human tongue, but Blake wanted to figure it out for herself if Weiss was going to be her caretaker now.

She tried to pay attention to the other two humans, knowing they would likely address Weiss by name.

But Blake couldn't discern it just yet. The car ride was making her head feel fuzzy, so it was difficult to concentrate.

So she settled for curling up on her blanket and closing her eyes to rest.

She listened to Weiss' voice, and recognized her own name every time the girl said it.

Blake was glad that Weiss was calling her by the name Glynda had given her. Blake liked her name a lot more now that Weiss was saying it.

After a while, the car stopped moving. Blake opened her eyes when her crate was lifted again.

She was carried into a big house, one that was very much unlike her previous dwelling.

The cruel man's house had been shrouded by trees and bushes, and it had almost constantly been hidden in shadows.

But this house was out in the open, where plenty of bright sunlight was streaming down.

Blake could feel it now, soaking slightly into her fur.

It felt strange, but nice.

She hadn't been able to feel sunlight in her previous dwelling, and the shelter had only had one window that led to a shaded outdoor enclosure.

But this place was _glowing_ with sunlight.

Blake was already fantasizing about laying down to nap.

But of course, there was much more to be done before that could happen.

Her crate was brought inside and set down onto the ground. From there, she heard the man talking to his daughters, and Weiss seemed to be responding to him.

Blake took that time to breathe in all the new scents that were tickling her nose and the roof of her mouth.

This place had a very clean scent to it, the nicest she'd smelled yet. The man's house had been cold and had smelled awful, and while the shelter had been much warmer and cleaner, there was only a certain level of cleanliness that could be achieved when a place was housing a dozen cats and their litter boxes.

But this place was undoubtedly very, very clean.

And it was warm. Blake could already feel the sunlight coming in through the windows and soaking into her fur.

And there was one more thing about this place that made it a good home.

There were fairies here.

Of course Penny was still sitting there up on Weiss' shoulder, but there were others as well. Blake could see two more from where she sat in her crate. They sprinkled their tiny trails of magical dusts over the furniture and decorations to cancel out the dust made from dirt.

One fairy was meticulously going through every single fiber of the carpet to pinch dirt and dust particles between her fingers and make them disappear.

They were all very focused on their work, so Blake kept her voice low as she called out a small greeting.

"Hello."

Instantly and simultaneously, the fairies near her perked up.

"Oh!"

"This must be the cat our darling Weiss has been talking about all this time!"

"She's worked so hard this past year!"

Their chorus of voices had altered Penny to the conversation. She left Weiss' shoulder and joined Blake and the others on the carpet.

"Correct!" she declared. "Everyone, this is Blake! She's going to be Weiss' friend!"

The other fairies all smiled and clapped.

Blake was happy to be given such a warm welcome from the fairies. She hoped the humans would treat her just as well.

When the humans stopped talking with each other, the fairies scurried back to their work. Penny returned to Weiss' shoulder as the girl knelt down before Blake's cage.

Weiss spoke softly to her as she opened the door. She didn't force Blake to come out, but instead she left the door open and walked to the other side of the room.

Blake didn't feel pressured or scared to come out.

She emerged slowly, cautiously, taking in the new sights and scents of this room. Her paw pads adjusted from feeling the plush of her blanket to feeling the firmer carpet now.

There was so much in this room.

There was a litter box, a soft bed, a food dish, a water bowl, and plenty of toys.

And there was a huge window.

Even from the floor, Blake could already see birds and flowers, and she could smell all the scents from outside. She felt a fresh breeze brush through her fur, tugging her whiskers back a little.

And she could _feel_ the sunlight.

It spread through her fur and emitted a subtle, comfortable warmth, a warmth she'd hadn't realized she'd been missing all her life until now.

Blake wanted to lie down and sleep, but she had to scout her new territory first and foremost.

She began walking around the room, though this was all very overwhelming to her senses, so she tended to slink a bit and keep to the walls. She sniffed every object within her reach, trying to memorize the layout of the furniture.

She noticed that Weiss was crouching against the closed door, watching her and cooing softly.

Blake stayed away from her for a while as she inspected the new room. Penny flitted around above her and translated a few things for Blake.

"Weiss worked hard for an entire year to save up the money for all of this! She bought all of those toys and plenty of food, too! This is your room for now, Blake!"

"My room?" she repeated. "So she's trapping me in here?"

"Oh, not at all!" the fairy said. "The house is just so big! Weiss is worried it will overwhelm you or frighten you after all you've already been through today! But she's going to let you explore tomorrow. She wants to do it together with you!"

Blake flicked her tail.

"I see..."

Weiss wasn't trapping her here. She was trying to be considerate of how Blake was feeling.

Being moved so much had certainly been stressful, and the cat didn't think she'd be able to look around the whole house today, anyway. This room was more than enough for now.

She was also amazed that Weiss had gotten all of these things for her.

Blake sniffed around her litter box area, then retreated to the little bed. Weiss had laid the purple blanket from Blake's shelter cage on it, so it already had her own familiar scent to it.

Blake then wandered to the window and hopped up onto a small chair that allowed her to sit on the sill. She swished her tail and twitched her nose and whiskers as she got a view and a breath of the outside world again.

The sun was warm on her fur, and if she'd been able to, Blake would have stayed there for hours.

But a sudden flash of motion caught her eye.

Instinctively, she whipped around and jumped down from the window sill, her fur bristling in anticipation.

A small, wormlike thing was wiggling its way across the floor.

She couldn't resist.

She dropped into a crouch and lashed her tail, her eyes narrowing into slits as she focused on her prey. She crept forward, belly low, then froze. She wiggled her haunches in preparation, judged the distance of the leap, and then-

With one swift motion, she pounced, claws out as she grabbed the little fuzzy worm, delivering a quick bite onto its back. Her hunt was finished in seconds.

A new sound reached her ears then.

She looked up to see that Weiss was right beside her, laughing and smiling happily. Her tone was one of joy and praise, and it made Blake feel happy, too.

It was then she realized Weiss had been playing with her.

A human had... never played with Blake before.

She'd never had this much _fun_ before.

She'd never had her own _room_ before.

She'd never known such a kind, pure-hearted human before.

Weiss continued laughing merrily and she reached her hand out to Blake once again. The cat recoiled slightly, but didn't retreat a single pace. Penny was giggling as well.

"You two are perfect for each other!" she said.

Blake didn't know about that just yet.

But she did know one thing. That she was willing to give Weiss a chance, just as Weiss had given her one.

So Blake lowered her head and bumped it against the girl's fingertips. She heard Weiss gasp, and she said a word.

Blake moved a little closer and brushed her body against the girl's knees, curling her tail. She encouraged Weiss to move her fingers.

As soon as Weiss started to scratch Blake's chin, the cat rubbed herself harder against the girl's touch.

It felt wonderful, being touched so kindly by a human.

This didn't hurt. This didn't scare her.

This was a touch that stemmed from kindness and care, not hatred and anger.

Blake pushed herself against Weiss more, making sure to leave her scent on the girl.

Weiss cooed and pet her more, from the top of her head all the way down her back to the base of her tail. She scratched lightly with her nails, hitting a few spots that made Blake's toes curl in delight.

Weiss took great care in touching the chink in Blake's left ear, and even went so far as to gently massage it for her.

Before long, a new prickling sensation rose up in the cat's chest.

It wasn't the same feeling she'd experience when she sat in the sunlight.

It was also different from the prickle she'd felt from Penny's promise, and the trust she'd given her.

This was a new feeling altogether.

Something was rumbling within Blake's chest. It worked its way up and spread up her throat, until a steady sound was being produced.

She didn't realize it until that moment, that she'd forgotten how to purr.

All those years of living in terror had taken her purr away from her.

But just these few brief moments of kindness and affection had given it back.

Blake pressed herself close to Weiss and let her purr out, louder and longer.

Weiss whispered to her and continued to pet and scratch her just right. She stroked Blake's fur in calming motions, so as to have the cat feel comfortable enough to lie down onto her side.

Weiss' hands and words sent warm little prickles throughout Blake's body.

These were like Penny's promise. These were motions that conveyed trust.

Weiss trusted that Blake wouldn't scratch or bite her.

So Blake demonstrated her trust as well. She revealed her belly, her most vulnerable part, trusting Weiss wouldn't hurt her or take advantage of her.

And she didn't. She just continued to pet Blake gently, and speak softly to her.

In all nine years of her life, Blake had never felt so safe, so warm, or so happy. She closed her eyes and listened to Weiss' words.

There was one in particular she kept repeating, one she seemed to like very much.

" _Blake_."

The cat understood this word to be her name, spoken in Weiss' language. She committed its sound to memory, so that she would never forget it.

Blake's purr never stopped for the rest of the time she remained awake. She could feel herself slipping off into sleep there on that carpet under Weiss' touch.

But not before she felt something else.

Weiss leaned down over her and pressed her mouth to the top of Blake's head.

That small contact sent a warm wave through Blake's body. It strengthened the force of her purr and curled around her heart.

From that day forward, Blake understood the meaning of trust.

* * *

 **A/N: Now we've been introduced to the fairies! Humans can't see or hear them, nor are they aware of their presence, but all animals can see fairies, and fairies are aware of all other species.**

 **I hope the language barriers/differences made sense. I know it was a bit confusing, but what I was trying to convey does make sense if you think about it for a minute!**

 **If you like my work, please support me on P-a-t-r-e-o-n as Kiria Alice!**

 **Please review!**


	3. The Promise

**I'm glad you all seem to be enjoying the premise of this story so far! There's so much more to come!**

 **If you like my work, you can support me on P-a-t-r-e-o-n as Kiria Alice!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.**

* * *

Chapter 3. The Promise

For the remainder of the week, Weiss' main job was to get Blake accustomed to life in her new home.

She started off by making sure Blake was comfortable in her cat room.

Weiss entered the room that morning to find Blake sitting on the window sill watching the birds. The cat turned her head and mewed softly as soon as Weiss entered, curling her tail a little bit. Weiss took it as an invitation to run her fingers down the cat's back.

"Good morning, Blake. It seems you've slept well. I'm so glad." There was a bit of black fur in the plush cat bed, indicating Blake had used it plenty the night before.

Weiss got to work opening Blake's can of breakfast food and scooping it out into her dish. As the cat ate, Weiss refilled her water bowl, and then got to cleaning the litter box.

She was finished with the morning work in only a few minutes, and after washing her hands, returned to Blake's room. They played together for a while, Weiss giving each toy in the room a trial period to find out which were Blake's favorites.

Once she'd tired Blake out a little bit, the cat meandered over to the girl and laid down on her side. Weiss smiled and gladly pet her there.

"Blake, you're such a good girl! Do you like me? Do you really like me?"

Of course, Blake couldn't reply, or if she could, she didn't know how to. But she never stopped purring, that was for sure, and Weiss took that as enough of an answer.

"I'm so glad. I was worried you wouldn't." She bent down and pressed a small kiss in between Blake's ears. The cat reached out a paw and gently touched Weiss' arm. The girl giggled. "You have such pretty eyes, Blake. They're the prettiest color I've ever seen."

A small knock on the door altered Weiss to it.

"Yes?"

Winter poked her head in briefly.

"It's very nice to know you're getting along with the cat," she observed. "But breakfast is ready."

"Oh, right!" Weiss turned back to give Blake another kiss. "I'll be back soon! I can show you the rest of the house today!"

With that, she stood and left the room with her sister.

In the kitchen, when her father asked about whether or not she'd completed her chores for the cat already, Weiss readily replied that she had, and he seemed satisfied with that. Since tomorrow was Monday, and Weiss would have to go back to school then, she wanted to make sure she savored as much time today with Blake as she could.

She ate quickly, excused herself, then was back in the cat's room within minutes.

First, she worked on picking the cat up.

Blake wasn't used to it at all. Her previous owner had never held her in an affectionate manner, and the only other people who had ever picked her up had put Blake into a crate. Weiss whispered softly to Blake as she tried to soothe her and coaxed her close.

"Don't worry, Blake. I won't hurt you. I promise."

She slipped one of her hands beneath Blake's chin, then looped the other around her side and belly. With a small pull, she stood up, one arm supporting Blake's back paws and the other beneath her front ones.

Blake growled softly and squirmed a little bit, and Weiss could feel claws poking at her skin. But it was more so Blake could hold on and have a comfortable grip, not so she could scratch her. Weiss pulled the cat close to her chest and cradled her softly, making sure she felt secure.

"It's okay. I've got you. Don't worry. Good girl."

Once Blake had calmed down, and Weiss was sure she wouldn't squirm or try to run off, she made her way to the door and nudged it open.

Weiss took the cat to her own bedroom now, where the walls, carpets, curtains, and comforters were all light, pastel colors.

"You can see why Papa wasn't too thrilled about my choosing you, of all the cats," Weiss said, gently lowering Blake to the ground. "He doesn't like the idea of your dark fur getting everywhere. But I promised I'd clean it all up, and I will." She took a step back from Blake, watching as the cat's ears and tail began to twitch. "Go ahead. Have a look around. Take your time." She stood back and watched Blake for a few minutes.

Blake crept around on the floor, sniffing every new object she encountered, a few of which she rubbed herself against. She jumped up onto Weiss' rolling chair in front of her desk and pawed at a few of her pens, then went back to investigating.

Once Blake seemed satisfied with the flooring, Weiss picked her up again and placed her onto the bed.

"See? Isn't it comfy? And it's a lot bigger than your bed."

Weiss laid down on her back to make herself look less intimidating to Blake, wanting her to feel relaxed on the bed.

The cat was cautious on this new surface. She'd never walked on a human bed before.

Slowly, she prowled around from the headboard to the foot of the bed, then went back to where Weiss lie. In the end, she decided to curl up at the girl's side. Weiss chuckled softly and wrapped an arm around the cat.

"Good girl, Blake. There's nothing for you to be afraid of here. I promise."

For a while, she simply lie there on her bed with her new best friend, petting and kissing her repeatedly. She traced her fingertips over the outline of Blake's good ear as well as her chinked one, massaging it again.

Blake purred for her in return, rubbing her nose and cheeks along Weiss' fingertips and waving her tail lazily.

The two of them curled up and napped together for a short while. Once Weiss reopened her eyes and sat up to stretch, Blake did the same.

"All right. Let me show you the hallway." Weiss opened her room's door again and scooped Blake up once more. She brought her back to the cat room, then set her down. "See? Your room and my room are right next door! Once you're familiar with the house, Papa says I can leave the doors open, during the day _and_ at night, as long as we don't have company. Then you can go wherever you want, whenever you want to. You're always welcome in my room, Blake!"

For the remainder of the day, Weiss brought Blake throughout the house. She carried her from room to room at first, just so all the walking wouldn't overwhelm Blake too much. She brought Blake everywhere except her father's room and office, where the doors were almost always closed.

Blake took her time examining her new territory. It was much larger than she'd first thought it would be upon arrival.

And though Weiss couldn't see the tiny winged guests that already resided here, Blake could.

There were fairies in just about every room, playing and cleaning, though Penny of course stayed with Weiss. It was the ginger-haired fairy who would translate some things Weiss was saying for Blake to understand better.

Once Weiss had taken the cat throughout the entire house, she stopped carrying Blake between rooms and left her to her own devices for a while.

During this time, Blake began to get a feeling for where each location in the house was in relation to others. She followed the hallways and peeked into every room as she went.

Each room had a slightly different scent to it, and she tried to memorize the layout based on that.

There were a few rooms that stood out in scent very much. Some of them looked almost exactly the same inside. They were scattered throughout the house, and were relatively small rooms in comparison to the others. Those rooms smelled like fresh water and soap, and the fairies loved playing in the sinks when the humans weren't around.

The room that smelled most strongly, however, was a large one on the first floor. There was a huge table there with many chairs and a lot of other things Blake didn't really recognize. But the air almost always smelled like food.

She watched Weiss poke around that room for a few minutes, and discovered there was food hidden behind the little wooden doors up on the walls, and there was also food in the big white contraption where it was always cold inside. Even though most of that food didn't smell as good as her own, it made that room a memorable one for Blake.

But after a few hours of exploring, Blake decided the room that smelled best was her favorite room:

Weiss'.

She finished her first journey around the house, and ultimately headed back to Weiss' bedroom. Weiss followed her down the hallway, expecting Blake to turn and go into the den. She was both a little surprised and very happy when Blake chose to go into Weiss' own room instead.

"Oh! Do you like it in here? I guess the window's bigger and gives a better view for you, huh?"

Blake hadn't understood her words, but Penny decided to intervene and translate once again.

"Weiss thinks you like this room because of the big window! Is that true, Blake?"

The cat jumped up onto the bed and flicked her tail.

"The window? I hardly noticed it. I like this room because it's hers."

Penny smiled widely and gave a twirl. While Weiss couldn't see or hear her, she wished she could translate that much to her.

But Weiss didn't need a fairy to understand Blake, it seemed. She sat down onto her bed beside the cat and pet her for a few minutes. She also moved the curtains aside from the window, inviting the cat to jump up if she pleased.

So when Blake took one look at the tempting window and looked away in an instant, Weiss began to understand.

"Blake... you like me? Do you really?" She wished Blake could understand her, that she could reply somehow.

Little did she know Blake _could_ understand, with Penny's assistance. But she couldn't reply in Weiss' language.

"Yes. I like her," she told Penny. "I really like her."

The fairy clapped merrily.

"Then you should tell her!"

Blake sighed.

"You know I can't."

"Of _course_ you can! Maybe not in her language, but she understands yours to an extent!"

Blake thought for a moment, but quickly realized there was no thought necessarily involved in this. She simply let herself react naturally.

The purr rose up and rumbled within her chest right away. She strode across the bed and pressed herself up against Weiss' side, patting her tail against the girl's back. Weiss giggled and reached out to hug her softly.

"Oh, Blake. I love you so much! I'm so glad I found you!"

She laid down onto her back, and Blake carefully crawled on top of her to lie on Weiss' stomach. She purred and bumped her nose against Weiss' fingers, her front paws naturally starting to curl and knead.

But her kneading earned a loud, sudden shriek from Weiss. Blake's purr cut off and she bristled, tensing up right away.

"Oh no!" she gasped, horrified. "Did I hurt her? I-I didn't even put my claws out that much-"

She looked to Penny for help. And she was both panicked and confused to find the fairy laughing her wings off.

"No, no, silly! You didn't hurt her at all! She's laughing, Blake!"

Blake hardly knew the meaning of laughter in terms of humans. She'd seen the fairies laugh and giggle together within the past few weeks, the prime example being with Ruby and Yang back at the shelter.

When she took a moment to look Weiss over now, Blake realized she was smiling, her eyes closed as she wiggled on the bed. Blake's stiff tail relaxed, and her drooping ears lifted again.

"Thank goodness..."

Penny continued giggling to herself for a moment, and Blake was more than used to that tinkling sound.

But she wanted to hear _Weiss'_ laugh more.

So she started kneading the girl's stomach again, very gently, barely letting her claws push onto the girl's clothes. Weiss squealed and yelped again, and Blake recognized the sound of her name on the girl's tongue.

"Blake! That tickles!"

She wasn't sure what the second part meant, but from what Penny had told her, she could guess Weiss was laughing more.

So Blake continued to purr and knead Weiss' stomach softly, finding it highly amusing how responsive the girl was.

Weiss, on the other hand, was trying very hard not to thrash too much for fear of accidentally pushing Blake off the bed. She jolted and squirmed and laughed beneath the cat's paws. Weiss had to bring a hand up over her mouth to quiet herself. She could only remember laughing so much at once a few times before, when she was younger and Winter would sneak up next to her on the couch and start tickling her.

Weiss' gleeful voice rose up to fill the room. She lost track of time there with Blake, whom she'd hug and pet in between bouts of laughter.

She was only drawn from her routine when a knock sounded on the door again. Weiss sat up with Blake in her lap.

"Come in," she called out, still smiling.

Winter stepped inside, and her lips instantly took on a smile when she saw the sight before her.

"I'm glad she's getting along quite nicely. And I'm glad you're so happy with her." She entered her younger sister's room and sat down on the bed next to her. Winter reached out to Blake, who sniffed her hand, and allowed her to pet her. Weiss giggled and leaned against her sister.

"Isn't she perfect? She's such a good girl. I think she's already comfortable in the house."

"She was certainly a lucky find," Winter agreed. "You deserve a cat like her. And she deserves a girl like you." Winter pressed a small kiss to her sister's forehead, then patted her back. "Come on. It's almost time for dinner. I'm sure Blake's hungry as well."

"Oh, right!" Weiss slipped off the bed and followed Winter to the door. "Come on, Blake! I'll get your supper!"

Blake followed the two girls out of the bedroom and back into the den, where Weiss scooped out a helping of food into her dish.

As the humans ate in the kitchen, Blake enjoyed her own meal, then curled up in her bed to groom. The door had been closed to keep her in this evening, but she knew that eventually she'd be able to roam the house as she pleased.

For now, however, she simply took pleasure in watching the birds outside the window, and the fairies indoors. She kept her ears perked to listen for sounds of Weiss as well.

The girl came back in to pet Blake for a while. Weiss wanted to spend as much time with Blake as possible tonight, because she'd have to go back to school tomorrow.

So for nearly and hour, she ran a small brush through Blake's fur, stroking her coat until it was smoother and softer than ever. She spoke softly to the cat, telling her everything she could think of.

She talked about school and what her favorite subject was.

She talked about the work she did afterwards to help make some more money to support Blake.

She talked about being excited to be able to leave Blake's door open in just a few more days.

The cat listened contently to the string of strange sounds coming from the human's lips. She still didn't recognize most of those words, but every time Weiss said Blake's name, the cat let out a little purr.

Penny sat on the girl's shoulder as always, kicking her feet idly, giving Blake a brief breakdown of the extensive things Weiss was talking about.

Weiss stayed there on the floor with Blake for as long as she could until Winter advised her to get to bed. Weiss soon left, but not without giving Blake one last kiss on the head.

Blake watched her go, then lowered her head onto her front paws and closed her eyes.

She really liked this bed and room Weiss had gotten for her.

But even so, Blake couldn't help but look forward to the nights when the door was left open so she might sleep beside Weiss instead.

* * *

Luckily, the cat didn't need to wait for very much longer for that.

Weiss and Winter were gone most of the next day, as was their father. Weiss had fed Blake and played with her briefly, then kissed her and left the house with Penny on her shoulder.

The fairy had explained to Blake that "school" was something most human children had to do almost every day. Blake was confused by this concept, but she didn't question it.

Of course, she missed Weiss all day long, and the door to the den was still closed. Blake toiled away the hours looking out the window and holding brief conversations with the other fairies that flitted their way in to dust things off.

She pawed at a few of her toys, but nothing was half as exciting to do without Weiss there with her.

So after many hours, when she finally heard noise within the house, Blake hurried over to the door and waited, kneading the carpet in anticipation.

Weiss opened the door not a moment later and called out her name. Mewing, Blake rushed forward and was happy to find herself in the girl's arms. She'd missed the sound of Weiss' voice and the feeling of her gentle touch.

Blake thought that now that Weiss was home, they could play and spend time together again.

But instead, Weiss retreated to her own room again. Penny explained she had "homework" that often took her a few hours to complete.

"What?" Blake growled. "I thought the whole... _school_ place was where she did work! Why does she have to do it here at home, too? She didn't have that yesterday."

"Yesterday was a weekend," Penny explained. "Humans don't have school two days a week."

Blake tilted her head, ears flicking in confusion.

"So they have to go to it for five days, but only get a break for two? That doesn't seem fair..."

"I don't think so either," Penny agreed. "But soon they'll get a longer vacation in the summertime! Then Weiss will be able to stay home a bit more!"

Penny slid herself beneath the door and returned to Weiss' room. Blake snorted, jealous that the fairy got to be with Weiss at just about all times. Even though Weiss couldn't see Penny, Blake still envied the fairy a little.

She realized she was a bit territorial when it came to Weiss, since she was the first human to ever treat her so well. Blake didn't want to miss spending a second with her if she could help it.

So she let out a small cry, which eventually turned into a string of lonely yowls.

Within seconds, Weiss was there, opening the door and crouching down to take Blake into her arms. Blake felt guilty for making her upset, but she just wanted to spend time with her.

Thankfully, Weiss carried Blake into her own bedroom now and let her down onto the bed. After a few minutes of petting and kissing, Weiss left the bed and sat at a large table across the room. Blake knew she was doing homework, and she didn't want to distract her anymore. But she was just happy to be in the same room as her now.

She liked being able to look at Weiss, to hear her talk quietly to herself, and to receive the occasional smile or pat on the head. Blake just liked being around Weiss in general. There was a certain aura around the girl that she really liked. She could tell it was Weiss' own, and had little to do with the fairy on her shoulder.

Blake lounged on Weiss' bed for a time, then jumped up onto the window sill to keep herself entertained. She didn't know how Weiss could just sit in one spot for so long and not fall asleep.

It was a while before the girl finished her work and resorted to playing with Blake once again before suppertime. She brought Blake back to her room and played with her before bedtime, where the door was closed once again.

Two more days passed by like that, until finally, the night came when Weiss left Blake's door open.

The second the cat had finished eating her evening meal, she strolled right out the door and into Weiss' room.

They played there together for a time, on the bed and on the floor. Only when Weiss put the toys back into Blake's room did the cat understand it was time for bed.

Weiss left her room, and Blake followed at her heels down the hallway to one of the small rooms that smelled like water and soap. Blake watched as Weiss put a small, colorful stick into her mouth and jiggled it around, while Penny explained what she was doing was cleaning her teeth.

She did a number of strange things in that room that Blake had never seen her do in the other rooms, such as shed her clothes and put on different pieces. Penny also explained the human ritual of changing before bedtime.

Once Weiss was finished, she picked Blake up and took her back to her bedroom. She left the door ajar so Blake could leave at any time to use the litter box if she needed to.

As Weiss laid herself down onto her bed, Blake's purr started up again. She walked all around the girl, rubbing against her arms and legs and anywhere else she could reach. She mewed softly a few times, which always got a gleeful reaction from Weiss.

Weiss pet her and scratched her plenty, enough to make Blake drowsy, especially when the girl lightly massaged her injured ear again.

When at last Weiss began to grow still, Blake settled herself down at the girl's side. Penny curled up on the edge of Weiss' pillow, a tiny ball of dress and wings.

Weiss mumbled something along with Blake's name, kissed her head, and then closed her eyes.

Blake kept her eyes open for a time as her purr rumbled on, glad she could finally sleep at Weiss' side. She could feel Weiss relaxing, feel the tension draining from her body. Her voice stopped, her breathing slowed, and her body grew still.

Blake finally closed her eyes as well.

Never in all her life had she fallen asleep quite so quickly and happily as she did that night.

* * *

This routine continued for many, many weeks to come.

While Weiss was still in school, Blake kept to the usual pattern she'd fallen into, though nowadays, she was allowed to roam the house freely to occupy her time.

She'd laze about when Weiss wasn't home, then play with and follow her when she was.

The days when Weiss didn't have school, the "weekends" as Penny referred to them as, were Blake's favorite days, since she often got to spend more time with Weiss. Though sometimes, Weiss would still leave the house, and come back a few hours later smelling like grass and soil.

Penny explained she'd been working to earn the money to keep supporting Blake.

Blake could tell that sometimes Weiss was exhausted when she came home, but she always tried to play with Blake, regardless.

But the cat was clever, and whenever she sensed Weiss was fatigued, Blake would act tired and disinterested in the games, so Weiss could retire early and get some rest.

Blake didn't ever mind going to bed early with Weiss.

She loved every night regardless, because she always got to curl up at her side.

* * *

When the promised "summer vacation" came at long last, Weiss stayed home much more often than usual.

When she wasn't out in the grass and gardens, she was home with Blake.

Of course, sometimes her father or sister would go places with her, but she was never gone for longer than a day.

On one particular day when the entire family was away, Penny opted to stay back and didn't accompany Weiss. Instead, she kept to her previous promise and invited Ruby and Yang over for tea.

The sister fairies were ecstatic to see that Blake was doing so well. They all talked for many hours, exchanging news and playing games together with the other fairies around the house.

Blake was told that since she'd been at the shelter, nearly all of the other cats had gotten adopted and brought to good homes.

She ended up seeing Ruby and Yang several more times over the hotter months of the summer.

In addition to always keeping to Weiss' side as often as possible, Blake never really felt lonely anymore.

It was a very nice feeling, to finally have friends and to be loved unconditionally.

Even Weiss' sister often pet her and took some time to play with her every now and again.

Blake had feared and avoided their father for quite some time, but as the months went on, she began to realize he wasn't anything like her own owner. If Weiss were out working or in the shower, Blake would jump up to curl on the man's lap every now and then whenever he sat down in the living room to read a paper or watch the news.

Blake didn't sense the passing of time as she lived through each day with her new humans. But she realized that the hotter days were fading away now, and the breezes that came in through the window screens were cooling down. The beams of sunlight she enjoyed became scarcer, and the nights became colder.

It was during one of these nights when Blake learned something very important, and very frightening.

Weiss had laid down on her bed for sleep as she'd always done. She was lying on her back, bundled up beneath her blankets. Blake had been kneading the comforters and was getting ready to curl up at the girl's side as always.

But tonight was particularly chilly, and she felt that just curling up next to Weiss wouldn't help her get as warm as possible. Therefore, the cat decided to do something different.

Slowly, she stood up again and placed her front paws on Weiss' stomach. She'd done this before when she'd kneaded and tickled Weiss with her front paws, so Blake assumed she wouldn't mind.

The girl's body dipped beneath her weight as Blake moved, this time until all four of her paws were balanced on Weiss' form. Blake treaded carefully, keeping her claws sheathed, trying to find the warmest place.

Her ear flicked when she heard a small whimper from Weiss. Blake paused and turned herself around, her full weight still pressing down on the girl's chest. Weiss gasped softly and her eyes flew open.

"Ow, ow! I'm sorry Blake, but you're too heavy!"

She reached out and picked the cat up, setting her down beside her once more. The girl let out a long sigh of relief, then crossed her arms over her stomach and chest, breathing deeply.

Blake was shocked by what had just happened. She had heard Weiss make that kind of sound before when she'd tripped or hit herself against something. It was a sound of pain, and Blake was horrified that she'd just been the cause of it.

"Penny!" she hissed. "What just happened?"

The little fairy had woken to see the events unfold. She frowned at Blake and kept her voice low.

"Well... you see, Weiss is still growing. She's only nine years old. And you're a full-grown cat, Blake. You're just a bit heavy to be sitting directly on top of her right now. But in a few years she'll be bigger and stronger, so you can probably do it then!"

Blake listened to the fairy with one ear and Weiss with the other. The girl had grown quiet again, so Blake focused on Penny.

"What does that mean? I've seen spring nine times also. She and I are the same age. How is it that I'm full-grown and she's not? Plus, I'm smaller than her. How could that have happened?"

Penny gave a little shrug, looking and sounding uncomfortable now.

"Well, you see, Blake... Humans and cats have different lifespans. So do fairies. We live for hundreds of years and see hundreds of springtimes. Humans usually only live up to one hundred years. Usually fewer than that."

Blake flinched, and her stomach twisted. She didn't like hearing that Weiss wouldn't live as long as a fairy could.

But the way Penny was avoiding her gaze told Blake there was worse news yet to come.

"Then... if humans only live for one-hundred years... what about cats?"

Penny was silent for a long moment. Her response was thin and dejected.

"From what I've seen, cats that live in good houses like this one can live up to twenty years."

Every blade of fur on Blake's body bristled in that instant. She had already seen spring nine times, and the next spring would be her tenth.

So that meant... she would only get to see it ten more times after that? But Weiss would get to see it many, many, many more times.

It was all very confusing to her, and it made her feel sick. Weiss was still growing, but Blake was fully-grown. They had been alive for the same amount of years, but Blake's life would be over much, much sooner than Weiss' would.

Blake was limp with horror. The room around her got blurry and she slumped down onto the bed.

"So... that means I can stay with Weiss for the rest of _my_ life... but not for the rest of _hers?_ "

Penny met her terrified eyes with sad, subdued ones and nodded.

"And it's the opposite for Weiss and I. I can be with her for all of her life, but she won't be here for all of mine." She sighed and wiped her hand over her face. "We still don't really know what decides these kinds of things. Fairies have tried many times to help humans and animals live longer, but the most we've ever achieved was adding on a few years. I think it will be a long time yet before humans can live as long as we do, and even longer before animals can get there."

The little fairy approached Blake slowly and sat down on her front paw. "But don't think about that, Blake. It will only make you sad. Wouldn't you rather see your ten springtimes together with Weiss being as happy as possible?"

Penny tried to sound optimistic, but the truth she'd just bestowed upon Blake was a heavy one.

The cat lowered her head, ears, and tail as she sunk into the blankets at Weiss' side.

Blake had always known death was an inevitable thing. She'd seen birds and squirrels and mice die before, not from being eaten or hit by cars, but just naturally. Blake knew she wasn't as young and energetic as she'd used to be, and even those years had been robbed from her because of her old owner.

Now, she was bigger than she had been, and she had to admit she couldn't run quite as quickly. She still had plenty of energy to play with Weiss, but now she was fearing the future. She'd want to play less and sleep more, and maybe Weiss would get tired of her. Maybe she'd give her up...

"No!" Blake hissed aloud to herself, startling Penny. "She wouldn't! Weiss won't abandon me when I get older. Will she...?" She cast a scared, imploring look at Penny. The fairy shook her head quickly.

"Never! I've been with her for many years already, and I know what kind of a person she is! Her heart is very kind and pure! She would never do something like that to you or anyone else, Blake."

She reached up and touched Blake's nose gently. "Don't worry so much. You're going to live a good life here with her. You already make her so much happier than she was. I can tell. Her heart is so lively now ever since you came into her life. So please, don't worry, Blake. You'll both have many wonderful times together."

The fairy's touch eased Blake just a little.

"Penny... Can you promise me that?"

Penny shook her head sadly.

"I can't make that promise for you or for Weiss. But maybe _you_ can."

Blake blinked slowly at the fairy. She'd never made a promise before. She'd never felt the need to.

But now that she knew the truth about the years to come, she was determined.

Blake dipped her head to Penny, then cast her gaze upon Weiss' slumbering form.

"I promise... to make her happier than she's ever been. For the rest of _my_ life. Even if I won't live to see the rest of hers."

Penny smiled and took a few steps back.

"That's a beautiful promise, Blake. I know you'll keep it." She waved her hands slowly, and a small puff of dust sprinkled from her fingertips. "Sleep now, Blake. Starting tomorrow, you'll have to make sure you keep that promise to her."

The dust reached Blake, and it lulled her eyes closed. She lowered her head once again and let sleep come to her.

Maybe in the past nine years, she hadn't really had anything to look forward to in life.

But now, with her promise made to Weiss, Blake had everything to live for.

* * *

 **A/N: Now Blake knows she has a very limited amount of time to be with Weiss. How will this affect their bond?**

 **If you like my work, you can support me on P-a-t-r-e-o-n as Kiria Alice!  
**

 **Please review!**


	4. Severed Bond

**I'd like to say happy birthday to Tom during this chapter. He's helped support me so much and for so long. He deserves all of my best stories to read!**

 **If you like my work, you can support me on P-a-t-r-e-o-n as Kiria Alice!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.**

* * *

Chapter 4. Severed Bond

Ever since the evening she'd made her promise to Weiss, Blake was sure to live out every day to the fullest.

The knowledge that she wouldn't be able to spend as much time with Weiss as she'd like to made it all the more necessary to savor every moment they had together.

Even when they were apart, Weiss was all Blake thought about. And the opposite was also true. Penny would often tell her how Weiss would talk about Blake to her classmates, and how she was always doodling pictures of her in her notebooks.

Weiss continued her school, as well as her work in the evenings and on weekends to pay for Blake's food and litter. Weeks when she had more homework meant she had less time to earn her small salary, so those weeks, Blake was happy to eat her usual food.

But when Weiss could afford to spoil Blake, she always did. She'd buy her new toys when an old one got too mangled, and she let Blake test out many different flavors of food to see which one she liked best. Weiss even kept a small bag of cat treats in a drawer beside her bed for dessert.

Blake made the most of every day, every hour, and every second she spent with Weiss. The cold weather soon melted into warmth, and the quiet white mornings blossomed with life and birdsong once again.

Most days were alike in the sense that Weiss would either go to school or stay home. There were a few times when Blake was put in her den and the door was closed because another human had come to visit the house. She'd listen to the strange muffled sounds of their voices, her ears mainly concerned with Weiss'.

During those times, Blake would nap or stare out the window until the visitor left and Weiss came to open her door once again.

There were some days that were more hectic than others, like the time Weiss slept in late and missed her school bus, or the time Blake accidentally knocked over a flower pot when she saw a raccoon outside the house.

But then, when Blake's tenth springtime arrived, a special day occurred.

She was now able to recognize the days of Weiss' schedule, and knew today was a weekend. Blake expected it to be a calm, quiet day like usual.

But instead, Weiss ended up putting her in the den once more and closing the door.

A little while later, Blake heard many voices in the house, all higher-pitched ones, suggesting they were younger children. All the fairies in the house were more excited than ever. When Blake inquired of one of them what was going on, the little fairy explained merrily.

"It's Weiss' birthday! She's having a party!"

"Birthday? Party?"

It took Blake a few more questions to understand everything. Evidently, this was something most humans did when they marked the seasons as another year.

But while most children had fun with others their age, Weiss was never one to like parties very much. Her father only threw them for show, making a big deal about his mansion and money.

Weiss ended up coming in to sit with Blake many times that day.

"They don't even notice I'm gone," she sighed. "But that's okay. I don't need them or their presents anyway. Blake, you're the best gift I've ever gotten, and the best one I'll ever have."

Blake didn't understand her completely, but she'd learned the meanings of many human words since she'd been brought here.

As time went on, she'd learn well enough to be able to understand Weiss entirely.

Seasons passed them by, and though Blake hardly noticed it, she did see that Weiss was changing a little bit. Her hair got a little longer, and she stood a little taller now as well.

She received a lot more homework, too, which meant less time she could spend playing with Blake. Her other work seemed to take up more hours of her time as well now.

Weiss was getting busier, and Blake was getting older. She could feel her body starting to slow down a little, not by much, but enough to recognize the change. She had less energy on some days, and occasionally her hips would ache a little.

But no matter how strange she was feeling, she never let it stop her from keeping to her promise of making Weiss as happy as possible.

And no matter how busy Weiss became, she always made time for Blake.

Not a day went by when Weiss didn't play with her or take care of her. If she didn't have time to play with Blake, she would at least brush or pet her for a moment.

And without fail, Weiss was always happy to lay down at night with Blake at her side.

* * *

. . .

Since several years had now passed, Blake believed Weiss looked to be just about fully-grown.

She'd seen five of Weiss' birthdays, and Weiss had held small celebrations for Blake as well, meaning they were both fourteen years old.

Weiss was still petite, but not quite as skinny as she'd been when she was nine years old.

So one night, Blake decided to do what she'd done a long while ago.

As Weiss lie on her back, blinking tiredly up at the ceiling, the cat placed a paw onto her stomach. She paused, hoping Weiss wouldn't yelp in pain again. When she didn't, Blake continued moving a second paw onto her, then the third and fourth. Weiss chuckled and looked down at her.

"Chilly? I can help with that." She opened her arms invitingly, unlike last time when she'd covered herself up.

Blake was relieved to know she wasn't hurting her this time. Years of aging had made Weiss stronger, and Blake a little lighter.

Slowly, the cat settled down, her back legs curled over Weiss' stomach and her front paws resting on her chest. Weiss chuckled softly and reached up to scratch her ears, running her finger along Blake's cheek, then down to her chin. Her free hand massaged Blake's chinked ear a bit, then stroked the cat's back in soothing motions.

The purr was immediate now that Blake knew Weiss was enjoying this, too.

Penny had already fallen asleep at her usual spot on the edge of Weiss' pillow.

Weiss herself had been working hard all day long. After only a few minutes, Blake could see her eyes struggling to stay open.

"I'm sorry I didn't play with you much today, Blake..." she yawned.

Blake purred a little harder, trying to reassure the girl that it was fine. Her purr seemed to have the desired effect on Weiss, because she relaxed within seconds and closed her eyes.

"This feels so nice..."

Blake understood her words, and didn't let up on her purring, even after Weiss had stopped petting her. She'd quickly discovered that her purr had a calming effect on Weiss, especially when she could feel the vibrations directly against her chest.

Weiss' touch calmed Blake and elicited a purr that would calm Weiss in return. It really was the perfect relationship, and one that would soon prove to be essential within coming months.

But for now, Blake enjoyed her first night sleeping like this, curled up on top of her beloved girl.

Weiss' breathing provided a constant rocking motion for Blake, one that caused her eyes to slowly fall shut. There was something else she could feel as well, something that stirred beneath her own chest, within Weiss. A dull, steady beat pulsed in Weiss' chest, and at first, Blake wondered if she were purring somehow as well.

But when she quieted her own purr just a little bit, she recognized it as the beat of Weiss' heart.

Blake had heard it before in past years, on nights when she'd curled at Weiss' side and her ear had pressed to the side of her chest.

But this was her first time ever _feeling_ it.

Blake couldn't explain this feeling. It was so wonderful.

But it made her sad to know that her time to keep feeling it and to keep being with Weiss like this was limited, and running out with every passing beat of her heart.

* * *

In Weiss' and Blake's fifteenth year, Winter moved out of the house.

Being the eldest daughter, she needed to go away to live, study, and work somewhere else.

If Blake had noticed any changes in Weiss over the years other than the slight physical alterations, it was the fact that she was getting better at hiding her feelings.

At least when she was in the presence of others.

Blake had been in the kitchen with the entire family when Winter had shared the news that she'd be moving out in a few months. Blake had sensed their father's approval, and Weiss' distress.

But despite her sadness, Weiss only ever smiled to her family.

After that, Weiss seemed to be much more restless at all times. She tried to be around her sister as often as she could in order to savor the last few weeks of living with her.

But when she was alone in her room with no one other than Blake and the fairies to see her, she'd often cry.

"I'm... really terrible... aren't I, Blake?" she'd once whimpered. "Winter's becoming successful. I... should be happy for her. I'm being childish. I shouldn't cry..."

Blake wished with all her heart that Weiss could understand her when she cried out, "No! Of course not!" but there was no such miracle. Instead, the cat could only nudge Weiss softly, curl up in her lap, and offer a small, sad purr.

Weiss' pain was felt by the fairies of the house as well. They were a little less cheerful during those weeks. Penny made sure not to invite Ruby and Yang over so they wouldn't have to be sad as well.

Despite her mounting age, Blake watched Weiss with keen eyes. The girl was very good at displaying fake emotions to her family and other humans. But whenever she was alone and could truly express how she was feeling, she was a completely different girl.

It was difficult for Blake to watch her go from showing a pleasant smile to choking sobs within the seconds it took her to change rooms. Blake curled up on the girl's chest every night and offered a soothing purr for her troubled heart.

But eventually, the inevitable day arrived when Winter would need to move out.

There were several suitcases all packed full with things on that busy morning. Blake hung back at the side of the room as she watched the girls' father speak with Winter, making sure she'd packed everything she'd need.

Weiss had yet to show herself, because Blake knew she was trying not to cry in front of them.

But Winter needed to leave now.

So she requested that her father take a few things out to the car for her, then called for her little sister.

Blake watched as Weiss came shuffling into the room, a fake smile plastered onto her lips as she tried to keep her voice from trembling.

"Winter... I'm... I'm so happy for you-"

"Don't do that," Winter said softly. "Weiss, come here." She opened her arms and beckoned her.

Weiss broke down and rushed forward, all but collapsing into her sister's arms, sobbing at the top of her lungs.

Blake felt a strange feeling bubbling up in her chest. It was a feeling she hadn't encountered in many years. The last time she could remember it had been when she was back at the shelter.

It was a deep, helpless sadness, stemming from the fact that she knew she could do nothing to help Weiss.

At the very least, she was happy to know that Winter had seen past Weiss' exterior and allowed her to show her true feelings now. Even when their father came back into the house, Weiss didn't stop crying.

"I'll miss you..." she whispered. "I'll miss you so much..."

Winter stroked her hair, allowing Weiss to hide herself in the crook of her neck.

"I'll miss you too, Weiss. I'll miss you terribly. But I'll come back to visit as often as I can. Whenever I have a weekend free or a holiday off, I'll be here. I promise."

Blake's ears naturally flicked at the sound of that word. She'd been keeping to her own promise to make Weiss as happy as possible all these years. But this was the first time since then she could recall hearing anyone else make a promise to the girl.

Weiss nodded into her sister's collar, still sobbing painfully. Winter held her for several minutes, kissing her hair and keeping her close.

Then, at long last, she gently coaxed her away.

"I've got to go." She kissed Weiss' forehead one last time. "I'll be back as soon as I can. I love you. Take care."

After hugging her father once again, Winter picked up her suitcase and walked out the door. Weiss followed after her.

Blake observed from the window as Weiss stood outside on the curb and watched her sister's car for as long as she could, until it had vanished. She watched Weiss cry alone for several more minutes, wiping her eyes as tears dripped into the grass.

Blake could only imagine how terribly she was hurting right now.

Weiss had never had many friends. Blake had seen as much at her birthday parties in earlier years. The classmates Weiss attended school with only ever came over to appreciate her house, not Weiss herself. Weiss didn't trust people easily, and she had developed a tendency to close herself off from others.

Blake guessed that was because of the fact that she always had to stay home and study, or do work rather than go out and enjoy herself. Weiss was a very smart girl, but she had few people to speak of in terms of close companions.

Winter had by far been her best friend. And now she was gone.

Even though she'd said she would visit, Blake knew things would never be quite the same again under this roof.

She would no longer be there living with Weiss. She would no longer be able to help her with confusing homework, or hear Weiss out when she had a problem. She would no longer be able to sit and watch movies with her on weekend nights.

Blake felt an invisible weight settle down on her old shoulders. It seemed she was all Weiss had left by means of a companion who could comfort her at home, at least one whom she could see and physically touch.

She didn't want to think of this responsibility as a burden or an obligation, though. Blake loved Weiss out of her own free will, and the things she did for her were to reciprocate the kindness and selflessness Weiss had shown to her six long years ago.

Blake could feel herself getting older with each passing day now. But she had promised to do all she could for Weiss, and she didn't intend to stop until her she drew last breath.

So as soon as Weiss had limped back into the house, Blake was at her feet, rubbing up against her. She felt a few warm teardrops fall onto the fur of her back as Weiss bent down to pick her up. She lifted Blake into her arms, kissed the chink in her ear, and buried her face in her fur.

"At least I still have you, Blake..."

Blake could already sense a drastic change in Weiss. Just a short while ago, she'd been bursting with emotions – a mixture of anxiety, sadness, and a bit of excitement, though it wasn't necessarily the good kind.

But now, Weiss was exhausted, emotionally drained, it seemed. She limped her way back to her bedroom, her shoulders occasionally trembling with silent sobs.

From her arms, Blake flashed a glance to Penny, who had been quietly sitting on Weiss' shoulder all the while. The fairy caught her eye and sighed, never once smiling throughout all of this.

Weiss opened her door, stepped into her room, then closed it once more. She laid Blake gently down onto the bed, then curled herself up into a ball beside her. Penny flew silently to her spot at the edge of the pillow and said nothing.

Blake wasn't sure what was wrong with the fairy. Perhaps she was just feeling Weiss' sorrow too strongly.

Blake bumped her head against Weiss' side and mewed softly before making her way around.

Blake had never seen her look so small, not since Weiss had been five years younger. The girl had her face buried into the comforters to stifle her crying, but Blake could still hear the weak whimpers escaping her lips.

There was little she could do for her other than curl up beside her and offer a weak purr.

It was a while yet before she felt Weiss reach out to touch her. Over the years, as Blake had grown older, Weiss' touch had become much softer. It was almost timid now, as though she feared she might hurt Blake or chase her away.

 _She could never_ , Blake thought. _She couldn't chase me away even if she tried_.

Weiss sat up briefly, grabbed a few tissues to clean herself off with, then laid back down. She was on her back now, and Blake cautiously placed one paw onto her shaking stomach. Weiss didn't stop her, so Blake climbed on top of her, into the spot that had become her favorite. She settled down on top of Weiss and offered a slightly stronger purr for her.

Weiss' chest hiccuped and jolted beneath her for a few minutes, until her breathing started to slow and deepen. Blake was glad to discover her purr still had this calming effect on Weiss, even during times of distress.

As she gave off her purr, Blake also sent out a few thoughts to Weiss, wishing she could understand them.

 _It will be okay._

Weiss heaved a sigh, the last of her tears falling back down the sides of her face and onto her blankets. Slowly, she reached her arms up to rest lightly around Blake, keeping her secure on her chest. Blake felt her release another shuddering breath as she struggled to find words.

"Thank you, Blake... Thank you for being here..." She let out a long breath, and her pretty blue eyes found the cat's golden ones. "You've always been here for me, Blake. Promise you always will be...?"

Despite Weiss' warm, cajoling touch on her, Blake stiffened at those words.

Weiss had never asked Blake to make a promise before. At least, not during a time when Blake could understand her words.

Her eyes flashed to Penny, but the fairy was asleep.

Blake knew the ways a promise worked. She could only make a promise she herself could fulfill.

Weiss was asking her to make this promise. And even though she didn't even know that Blake could comprehend her, and even though she might not be able to understand Blake's reply, the cat's response still mattered.

If she made this promise, she would have to keep it.

And with her knowledge of how cats and humans aged so drastically differently...

"I... I can't..." she mewed. "I'm sorry..."

Weiss only heard a soft meow from her, though. And she smiled.

"Thank you, Blake..."

With that, her eyelids fell shut, and her conscious slipped away.

Blake's claws curled into her shirt a little in frustration.

"No! I can't make that promise, Weiss. Please don't think I can!"

But the girl was already asleep, and couldn't understand Blake even if she'd been awake. Blake yowled softly in anguish.

"It's not fair! Why _shouldn't_ I get to live as long as she can? Why _shouldn't_ I be able to make this promise to her?!"

She shouted at nothing that could provide any kind of answer. Blake growled and dropped her head onto her front paws, tail lashing.

"It's not fair... All I want to do is stay by her side..."

But her words fell into a silent room and disappeared into the air.

* * *

The days after that were a little rough on all of them.

Blake was constantly worrying about Weiss, who seemed to be upset no matter what she did. Even Penny was acting despondent, and didn't reply to half of Blake's comments when she addressed her.

Luckily, Blake did manage to earn a few smiles out of Weiss here and there, be it when they were playing together or when she'd knead her stomach and make her giggle.

Blake did all she could to help her feel better after losing Winter.

It was the beginning of a new semester, and Weiss went to school and came back with plenty of homework. It seemed that focusing on her assignments helped keep her mind off of sad thoughts.

But Blake could also tell it wasn't good to let Weiss drown herself in her work. Whenever she felt the girl had studied long enough, she'd bump herself against Weiss' shins and meow.

"Are you hungry?" Weiss would ask. "Sorry. Let me get your supper."

Of course, Blake's main concern wasn't to eat, but rather to get Weiss to stand up, stretch out, and take a break for herself.

The cat worked hard in her own ways that week, doing her best to keep Weiss from exhausting herself too much.

She noticed the other fairies in the house started to talk to Penny privately more and more often. Blake hoped they were trying to make her feel better, too.

After a week had passed, Weiss received a phone call one evening. Within seconds, her voice and tone had risen up to a gleeful volume.

"Winter! How are you?"

Blake's ears perked tall, delighted that the sisters could interact again, even if it wasn't the same as old times.

She discovered that maybe whilst the two of them couldn't be physically together as often anymore, they could still do many of the things they'd always done together.

They talked on the phone almost every night of the week now, chatting and laughing and sharing news and gossip. They even found a way to watch movies together by using laptops and headphones.

Blake noticed the positive effect it was having on Weiss right away. Her mood lifted once again, perhaps not to the high levels where it had once been, but it was steadily recovering from the sudden depression.

When Weiss wasn't at school or work, she was home talking with her father or Winter or Blake. Blake was the only one Weiss ever really got to touch or hug anymore, though. And Weiss had to be cautious about it now that Blake's bones were getting brittle.

Whenever Weiss embraced her, Blake wished she were bigger so that Weiss wouldn't have to hold back or worry about hurting her.

But more than anything, Blake wished she could hug her in return.

All she could do was purr, and even though she knew that calmed Weiss down, she felt it wasn't always enough.

The only real hugs Weiss ever received were from her older sister, mainly the first time Winter came back home for her namesake season's holidays. She was home for one full month then, a month during which Weiss' happiness returned to its normal levels.

Blake was overjoyed to see her back to her usual, cheerful self.

But as soon as the month was up, Winter left her yet again, and Weiss' sadness returned.

Her father must have noticed the change in Weiss as well, because Blake heard him try to convince Weiss to go out and meet with friends every now and then. He was usually the one telling Weiss to finish her work first and foremost, so for him to now be suggesting she get out of the house, Blake knew Weiss must have been reacting very badly to Winter's absence, in a way where even other humans recognized it.

But Weiss never went out as her father had tried to encourage her to. Thanks to a socially-reclusive childhood, Weiss had no friendships that had persisted into her high school years. Winter really was her best friend as well as her sister, and watching her leave again and again sent a message to Weiss that this was how all friendships would end; with others leaving, and Weiss getting left behind.

Because of this, she didn't try to make new friends at school either. She didn't trust other people enough to believe they would stay by her side. If it only meant they would leave her in the end, then she would rather not initiate the relationship to begin with.

. . .

Spring came again, Blake's and Weiss' sixteenth.

The cat had kept a close eye on Weiss over the months since Winter had left. The weekly phone calls and movie sessions proved to help Weiss on her path to recovery again. She had a lot of schoolwork to complete nowadays, so Blake made sure to distract Weiss from it whenever she got too indulged in it.

In this way, with Blake's concerned monitoring of the girl's emotional state, she believed Weiss was getting better.

That was why Penny's sudden news one evening came as a horrible shock.

Weiss was sitting at her desk in her room, working on some papers. Blake was lounging on the girl's bed, grooming herself.

Penny had been a bit taciturn recently, and notably less cheerful. But that evening, she approached Blake for the first time in a while.

"Blake...?"

The fairy tapped the cat's front paw to get her attention. Blake flicked an ear and looked down at her right away.

"Penny? Is everything okay?"

She'd been worried about the little fairy as well, of course. Blake missed her smile.

The response to her question was another small sigh.

"I'm fine. Or at least, I will be... Blake, there's something I've got to talk to you about."

Blake could sense the current seriousness of Penny's once-lighthearted tone. The cat flashed a glance over her shoulder at Weiss, then gave her full attention back to the fairy.

"What do you mean? What is it?" She settled herself down and inclined her head, inviting Penny to speak. The fairy avoided her gaze, her shoulders slouching guiltily as she began.

"Well... you know how I've always been close to Weiss, right?"

Blake nodded.

"You've been with her for as long as I've known her."

Penny agreed.

"That's right. But have you ever... known a fairy to be so close to any other human before?"

A beat of silence passed between them.

Blake recalled having wondered things like this in the distant past, but she'd never thought it was something she'd have to bring up. Sensing this conversation was taking an unsettling turn, Blake flattened her ears.

"What are you getting at, Penny?"

The little fairy sighed again.

"You know that fairies are drawn to kindhearted people, right? That's why there are so many in this house, and at the shelter... and why there were none at all back at the old house you used to live in."

Blake flinched inadvertently at the sore memories, but said nothing as Penny continued.

"Sometimes, a fairy can get attached to one human in particular. They start following them around everywhere, without even realizing it sometimes. As you can tell, that happened with me and Weiss. Even though she can't see or sense me... we formed a bond."

"That makes sense," Blake grunted. "But why are you talking about this like it's a bad thing?"

"...Because it _is_ , Blake. A bond between a human and a fairy _is_ a bad thing."

"What?" Blake hissed. "How can that be?"

"You've seen it for yourself, Blake. When a bond is created between a human and a fairy, they start to share emotions. When one of them is happy, that happiness bounces off the other and intensifies, making them both happier and happier. But of course, the same thing is true for sadness..."

Blake was beginning to understand now. No wonder Penny had been so unresponsive during Weiss' difficult times.

The fairy went on:

"Bonds between humans and fairies are rare, but there have been enough of them for us to know the outcomes. That's why the other fairies in the house kept pulling me aside to talk to me. They realized the bond between Weiss and myself was getting too strong. We can't let it continue..."

"But what if you became happy again?" Blake asked desperately, her fur standing on end. "If one of you is happy, then the other becomes happier too, right?"

"That's right," Penny agreed. "And there have been times when that has happened. The human becomes extremely happy and lucky, they live amazing lives that make other people jealous. And then the jealous people start to target them, rob them, hurt them..."

Blake's heart sank into the pit of her stomach. Penny was still avoiding her eyes.

"That's what happens if a human and a fairy have a happier bond together. Human pettiness destroys it without us having to lift a finger. And of course, a saddened bond between a human and fairy never ends well, either. They just keep bouncing bad emotions off one another. Loneliness. Fear. Anxiety. The humans sink so low that they have to be put away. Sometimes they go insane. Sometimes they hurt themselves or worse..."

Penny closed her eyes.

"It's awful. Our species can be drawn together by joy and kindness, and can live peacefully in harmony so long as we keep our emotional distances. But bonds are dangerous. One drop of sadness can turn into an angry ocean, and once it's reached that point, there's nothing we can do but drown in it."

Blake felt sick listening to all of this. She couldn't bear the thought of that happening to Weiss and Penny. She didn't want to think about what could happen, about Weiss losing herself to insanity and self-loathing.

"That's... That's horrible..." she rasped.

Penny reopened her eyes and finally let her sorrowful gaze meet Blake's.

"I know it's horrible. We aren't ever supposed to get too close that our species create a bond. And since humans can't see or sense us, fairies are the only ones able to initiate those bonds. _I_ made this bond with Weiss. Whatever happens to her is _my_ responsibility now. And that's why I've got to severe my bond with her."

Blake flinched again. Penny was making it sound so... _violent_...

"And... what happens then? What will severing the bond do to the two of you?"

Penny looked away again.

"I'll be all right. I just won't be able to stay with her so closely anymore. I'll be sad for a little while, but I'll be able to take care of the house together with the other fairies."

Blake felt a trickle of relief seep into her chest. But the worry still overrode her.

"And what about Weiss?"

Again, Penny was silent for a moment, making Blake all the more frightened for Weiss. The little fairy hugged herself and spoke slowly.

"She'll be hurt... It'll hurt her much more than it hurts me. She'll cry..."

Blake's fur stood up again, ears flattening, tail lashing.

"Penny, no. You can't do it. Not right now. She's just starting to feel better after Winter left!"

"I have to do it now, Blake!" Penny raised her voice in desperation, something Blake had never heard her do before. The cat recoiled a bit.

"Penny, please-"

"I don't have a choice, Blake," she mumbled. "I'm the one who forged this bond with her, so I'm the one who's got to sever it. I know how this works, Blake. Sooner is always better than later. It's better to do it when she's feeling happy. If I did it when she was feeling sad, the pain of severing the bond would only make her sadness worse and hurt her more.

"I can't do it when she's asleep, either. I can't risk doing it if she might be having a nightmare. It could send her into a panic and really hurt her heart. That's why I... I've got to do it now... before it's too late..."

Her voice tapered off and broke into thin little hiccups. Blake gasped when she saw tiny tears falling down her cheeks.

She had never seen a fairy cry before. For Penny to be shedding tears over this ordeal, Blake understood how serious it truly was.

So she sunk herself down onto the bed and looked away.

"Then... Then do it. Do it now."

Penny wiped her eyes and nodded.

"I'll make it quick. I'll have to leave right afterward. I'll go join the other fairies. So Blake, you've _got_ to stay with her through it."

"I will. I promise."

It was the first promise she'd ever made to Penny.

The little fairy wiped her eyes again and swallowed thickly. Blake turned her hardened golden eyes upon distraught teal.

"Go."

Her resolve must have transferred over to Penny. The little fairy gave a swift, determined nod and opened her wings to take flight.

But just before she did that, she reached out to touch Blake's nose.

"Thank you, Blake. You're a kind soul."

With that, Penny flitted across the room towards Weiss.

Blake watched as she approached the unsuspecting girl. Weiss was just working on some assignments, feeling neither particularly happy or sad at the moment.

It didn't seem fair, but Blake knew this was for the better.

She watched as Penny hovered in front of the girl. She stretched out her arm and threw a tiny handful of glimmering dust.

Blake watched as the minuscule puff of particles expanded into a haze around Weiss. But Weiss never noticed or looked up from her work.

Penny flashed a glance over to Blake, who gave her a nod of encouragement.

Penny returned her full attention to Weiss now. She waved her hands a little bit and closed her eyes, concentrating.

The dust particles around Weiss moved in time with Penny's hands, curling in a gentle swirl. Blake could see the dust was beginning to form a string of sorts, with one end of it at Penny's fingertips, and the other at Weiss' chest.

She realized she was seeing their bond.

It was clear that there was a strong connection between the two of them. The dust swirled mystically in the still evening air, glistening and shining in the lamplight.

Penny stilled her hands, and her expression tightened.

Then, with one swift flick of her hand, the string of dust between them was suddenly cut, and vanished.

Their bond was severed.

Weiss dropped the pen she'd been holding and let out a terrifying gasp.

" _Ah_ -"

Her hands went to her chest immediately, and she hunched over in her chair, breathing shallowly.

Alarmed, Blake leapt off the bed and ran to her side, climbing up into her lap and mewing softly.

Penny let out a soft apology, then flitted out of the room.

Blake was in a panic as Weiss cried out in small, strangled sobs.

"Ah! Oh gosh... ahh..."

She was still gripping at her chest, her heart thudding hard.

Blake could sense the distress and fear pulsing off of her in thick waves. She mewed again, pressing herself close to Weiss.

Blake didn't know what to do. She'd seen Weiss in pain before, but never like this. It was severe and immediate, so poignant that Blake could almost feel it for herself.

And then, as quickly as it had come, it faded. Weiss' grip on her chest loosened, and her sharp gasps for breath became exhausted and thin.

"What... What just happened...?"

One moment she'd been working, and the next there'd been a sudden, horrible pain in her chest. Weiss didn't have any medical conditions that she knew of, but this had certainly terrified her. Tears were already dripping down her cheeks, landing on Blake.

"I... I don't know... what's going on..."

Blake mewed again and rubbed against her. She wished Weiss could understand her words.

"It's okay. It's over now. You'll be okay. I pr-"

She stopped herself. Once again, she wasn't entirely certain she would be able to keep this promise, so it was best not to make it at all.

All she could do was let out a slow, steady purr for Weiss.

The girl wept for a while, not knowing why. She abandoned her unfinished homework and retreated to her bed with Blake.

Neither of them ate supper that evening. Blake simply curled up atop the girl's chest, and purred and purred for her, hoping to lull her to sleep.

Weiss cried all night long.

Blake could only imagine the pain and confusion that was sweeping through her.

In losing her bond with Penny, Weiss had lost something much greater.

To humans, fairies symbolized youth, innocence, and the belief in fantastical things.

Now, all of those things were lost to Weiss.

After sixteen years of having a fairy companion at her side, Weiss had lost it all within a few seconds.

She cried an hour for every year of her life thus far, for every year of magic and hope and wonder she'd now lost.

Weiss herself never actually understood why she'd been overcome by this sudden debilitating grief.

She couldn't think about it. All she could do was cry.

Blake stayed by her side all the while. She never left Weiss. She curled at her side or on top of her chest, providing a constant purr in an effort to ease the pain in her heart.

Weiss' heart beat roughly all night long, until morning came.

When the sun rose, Weiss grew still at last. Her pulse slowed, her eyes closed, and her tears stopped.

But Blake still feared for her.

She feared what Weiss might be like when she woke again.

But for now, all Blake could do was close her eyes and wait.

* * *

 **A/N: Weiss is experiencing some of the most difficult times in her life right now, and her fairy can't help her anymore. With Blake nearing the end of her own life, how can she ensure a good future for Weiss? The sad truth is, she may not be able to...**

 **If you like my work, please support me on P-a-t-r-e-o-n as Kiria Alice!**

 **Please review!**


	5. Love And Loss

**At the most difficult point in Weiss' life, things are only getting worse, and Blake is only getting older. Without Penny there to help Weiss now, there's only so much Blake can do for her...**

 **If you like my work, you can support me on P-a-t-r-e-o-n as Kiria Alice!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.**

* * *

Chapter 5. Love And Loss

Weiss got sick.

She'd gotten sick plenty of times before, but never like this.

In the past, it had been seasonal colds or the occasional headache or stomachache here and there.

But the day after she'd been assaulted by the sharp pain in her chest, she got sicker than she ever had before.

When she woke, her eyes were sore and puffy from crying all night long. She laid there for a long while, not moving, her thoughts a haze of confusion and hurt. When she tried to push herself out of bed, she didn't get very far before she fell back onto the mattress.

Blake stayed anxiously by her side and meowed in distress until Weiss' father was drawn to the room. He found his youngest daughter feeble and ill, a dire contrast to the healthy girl he'd seen last night at the dinner table. He couldn't think of anything else he could do other than bring her to the hospital.

The diagnosis was inconclusive. The professionals could find nothing physically wrong with Weiss, and failed to find the source of the sudden chest pains she'd described.

But they did discover she was under a great amount of emotional stress.

Once they'd shared their results with Weiss' father, he could do nothing more than bring her back home and lead her to bed once again.

Blake had been waiting anxiously all day for their return. All the fairies of the house had become subdued with worry, especially Penny. She knew Weiss' sudden decline in health was because of how she'd cut their bond last night. But the humans couldn't understand that.

Blake didn't let herself resent the little fairy for all of this. After all, Penny had been observant enough to recognize what had happened, and smart enough to address it as quickly as possible. If she'd waited another year, another month, or even just another day longer, Weiss' condition might've turned out to be worse than it was now.

As soon as the girl was back in bed, Blake jumped up beside her once again, cautiously sidling onto her chest. Weiss sniffled and drew her beloved cat closer, hugging her gently.

"Blake... I don't know what's... what's wrong with me... I can't go to work or to school like this..."

Blake didn't know what she could do. She could only watch helplessly as Weiss suffered all alone, for reasons she didn't even understand.

Blake laid herself down on the girl's chest and purred softly. At the very least, that still seemed to comfort her.

Weiss reached up to stroke her back and massage Blake's injured ear as she always did.

"Thank you, Blake... I always feel better when I'm with you..."

Blake rasped out another purr.

But Weiss' words sent and inkling of despair into her stomach.

Blake and Weiss were now both sixteen years old, going on seventeen soon. Weiss was in the prime of her life, but Blake was at the end of hers. She didn't know how much longer she'd be around for her.

And she hated to think how Weiss might react to her passing.

On top of Winter and Penny leaving her, Blake refused to leave her, too.

Subconsciously, her claws curled into Weiss' clothes a little bit, protectively, unwilling to let her go.

"I'll stay with you for as long as I can. For the rest of my life. That, I _can_ promise you."

Or at least, that was what she'd thought.

* * *

As days passed, Weiss' condition gradually improved once again.

But it took longer for her to resurface from this depression than it had when Winter had moved out.

She missed a full week of school and work, which caused her great panic since the end-of-term exams were coming up quickly. She studied as much as she could at home, and was determined to get better no matter the cost.

Blake watched as the girl pushed herself to her limits and beyond, anything to get herself back on track with her work.

Before long, she was in school again, straining to do her best.

Blake hated to see her like this. She hated spending every day in that house worrying about whether or not Weiss was all right.

Her only relief was in the late afternoon when the front door would open and Weiss would limp in, utterly exhausted. But she always had a smile and a warm embrace for Blake.

She ate her supper, sat and played with Blake, studied a little, and then went to bed.

In this manner, Blake saw her through to the end of the school term and into her summer break.

Weiss enjoyed the freedom of summer to an extent, but she preferred to have some kind of schedule or work to focus on. So after a few days of rest at home, she set out to find another job.

Blake ended up seeing the girl about as much as she did when school was in session. Her time with Weiss was limited to evenings, nighttimes, and some weekend days.

But she did all she could, always making sure to have Weiss relax and take her mind off the daily chores and stresses. It was her pleasure to make Weiss forget all of those things, even if just for fifteen minutes a night.

She kept her promise for as long as she could...

...until Weiss' father came to a decision.

He told Weiss one summer evening at the dinner table, and Blake overheard the entire conversation.

"Weiss," he said gruffly. "Your grades are outstanding enough to allow you to graduate high school a year early. I've arranged for you to stay at a local university and start attending classes there in the fall."

Weiss was shocked by the sudden news.

"Father!" she cried. "You didn't consult me about this!"

"Because I knew you'd refuse it. So I didn't give you a choice," he grunted.

"Father, you can't-"

"Weiss, listen to me." He leaned over the table a little bit, his eyes serious. "The doctors all agreed this would be good for you. You've spent too many years cooped up in this house. And I suppose a great deal of that is my own fault.

"So I've opted to make things right. You need a change of scenery. You need a fresh start. It's for your own good."

Weiss was speechless and appalled. She could only push her chair away from the table and rush out of the kitchen. Blake followed as quickly as her old legs could allow, slipping in behind Weiss before the bedroom door was shut.

Weiss threw herself onto her bed and sobbed into her pillow. Blake jumped up beside her and brushed against her, mewing softly in an effort to cajole her.

But Weiss was inconsolable this time. She just kept shaking and crying.

"It's not f-fair... He didn't even ask me... he just made all of these decisions on his own... I'm not r-ready to go to college yet... I'm scared..."

Blake didn't know whether to be more distressed for Weiss or angry at her father. She wasn't quite sure what college was, but if Weiss didn't like it, then neither did Blake.

"He said it was for her own good," Blake growled. "Has he seen _this?_ How could _this_ be for her own good?"

Weeks had gone by since Weiss had last cried herself to sleep.

But it happened again that night, and Blake was helpless to stop it.

* * *

Weiss began packing her things a few days later.

That made Blake's fur stand on end; the last person who had packed things up like this had been Winter, and she'd moved out of the house entirely.

The only solace came to Blake when she saw the little crate next to Weiss' bags. Blake hadn't gone into that thing in months, since her last visit to the vet. But she'd gladly go in it again if that meant she could go wherever Weiss was going.

Weiss was in her room that day, packing up clothes and personal items she'd be taking with her. Blake was in the living room with a couple of fairies, Penny included.

"I'm still so angry at him," Blake was hissing. "How could he do this to her?"

Penny flitted down to sit on the floor beside the cat.

"Maybe it really will be good for her, though. At least she'll be away from him. He always did like to keep control over everything. At least now maybe she'll have some freedom."

Blake tried to think on the positive side like the fairies did, and that raised another question.

"When we leave, will you come with us?"

Penny sadly shook her head.

"No. I should stay here. I wouldn't want to risk re-forging a bond with her. I think some distance is good for me and Weiss as well. But at least she'll have you with her, Blake! And I'm sure she'll attract other fairies wherever else she goes!"

The cat dipped her head. That much at least gave her a bit of comfort in all this.

Weiss finished packing her clothes and brought them into the living room, along with a bag where she'd put Blake's cat bed and a few of her toys. She set that bag down next to the crate, then knelt down beside her cat.

Blake purred instantly and pressed up against her legs. Weiss took care in picking her up and cradling her.

"Maybe this won't be all that bad," she murmured. "I'll get to live away from home for a bit. That did wonders for Winter. I can make my own schedule for classes, then go to work during my free time."

Blake noticed that Weiss had mentioned nothing in the way of trying to make friends, however. It sounded to her that Weiss would be doing the same things she'd done in high school and middle school thus far, only this time she'd be living elsewhere.

Blake believed that was a step in the right direction at the very least, but she really wanted Weiss to make some friends and have people who could help her in her times of need.

Blake could only do so much for her, like lie beside her and purr. Weiss needed _human_ support, people who could hug her and talk to her and listen to her like Winter had always done.

Once they'd gotten settled into their new place together, Blake would see if there was anything she could do to encourage Weiss to make acquaintances.

The cat was pulled from her thoughts as Weiss laid herself down onto the floor, keeping Blake atop her chest.

"Just three more days," she sighed. "Then we'll be moving out of here, Blake."

Blake purred and curled her tail, feeling the familiar touch as Weiss' fingers brushed over her chinked ear.

But the sound of footsteps broke their private moment, and Weiss quickly put Blake aside and stood up as her father entered the room.

"Is everything packed?"

"Yes, Father. Everything except essentials I'll still need up until the day I go."

"Very good." He looked over her luggage and was about to turn and leave when he spotted Blake's carrier crate. "What's that?"

Weiss titled her head, puzzled.

"Blake's crate. I've packed a bag of her supplies to take, as well."

It was at that point Blake could sense the atmosphere in the room change.

Weiss' father heaved a long sigh.

"Weiss, this university doesn't allow pets."

Whatever beginnings of a smile had been starting to appear on Weiss' face were wiped clean in an instant. Waves of dismay began pulsing off of her, and Blake was bristling as well.

Weiss shook her head, pleading.

"What? You went through all of this trouble to get me into a university, and it wasn't even one where I could take my best friend with me?"

"You'll make new friends there. You won't need the cat."

"How could you say that?" Weiss accused. "Father... Father, no... I've got to take her with me-"

"You can't."

"But that was our deal!" Weiss cried. "Our deal was that I would care for her for the rest of her life! That I'd pay for her expenses and be responsible for her! How am I supposed to do that when I'm a hundred miles away?!"

"I suppose you can't," he acknowledged. "But I can promise you I'll keep her here. I'll care for her."

Weiss was distraught and outraged.

"Then I'm not leaving!"

"It isn't your choice to make."

Painful tears stung at the backs of Weiss' eyes. Her hopes and optimism about moving out and starting over afresh were shattered yet again.

Choking back a sob, she ran past her father and disappeared into her room once again.

The man watched her go.

Blake was about to charge after Weiss when she paused for a moment. Weiss' father let out a deep sigh and sat heavily down into his arm chair.

Blake's paws were itching to take off after Weiss, but something made her linger there.

Her eyes met the man's, something that had happened only a few times in all her years here. He wasn't smiling, and he didn't seem proud about what he'd just done.

"I suppose you hate me now, too," he said. "Well, you'll be stuck with me a while longer. But at the very least, this should only make her more relieved and eager to move out. Even without you, she'll learn to enjoy it."

Blake's bristling fur began to lie flat.

Maybe... Maybe this man was really trying to do what he thought was best for Weiss, even if Weiss didn't see it that way.

Blake blinked up at him and held his gaze for a moment.

"I understand what you're doing," she mewed. "But that doesn't mean I have to accept how you're doing it."

And with that, she raced off down the hall after Weiss.

Blake had seen her cry so many times in the past year. Probably more times then she'd ever seen her cry in the seven years since she'd started living here with her.

Blake was starting to get used to seeing Weiss cry herself to sleep without supper; she'd almost forgotten what it was like to see her fall asleep peacefully.

She jumped onto the bed, crawled up to Weiss' collar, and bumped her head against the girl's chin softly. Weiss wiped her eyes and struggled to look up at her.

"Oh, Blake... I-I'm so sorry..." She hugged her cat with a gentle firmness, kissing her nose softly. "I can't... take you with me... I-I can't..." She turned her face away and sighed. "I guess I can only... do what Winter does and come to visit whenever I can... b-but I..."

She didn't finish her thought, but Blake felt she had a good idea as to what it entailed.

Weiss couldn't bear to think about what would happen if Blake were to pass away when she wasn't home.

Blake now harbored the same fear.

While she didn't expect death to be just around the corner, it was certainly creeping closer with each passing day, and Blake could feel it for herself. Any accident or sudden illness could mean the end for her.

In the past, during her time living with the cruel man, Blake hadn't feared death. On some days, she argued that she might've welcomed it. If it had come to her then, she wouldn't have refused.

But now, and for the past seven years, she'd had something to _live_ for, something to _love_ -

-something to _make_ her fear death.

Like Weiss, Blake had thought they'd be together until Blake's final moments. If she could pass away with Weiss' gentle hands and kisses being the last things she ever knew, Blake would have few qualms.

But to think Weiss might not be around anymore when the fateful day arrived...

Blake gave out a low, mournful yowl, one that suggested to Weiss that the cat could sense the pain brought on by her dilemma. Weiss' chest trembled beneath her paws, and the girl clung a little tighter to her.

"Blake... I love you so much... I wish you could understand that..."

Blake lifted her head and looked directly into Weiss' eyes.

"I do," she said.

It came out as a small mew to Weiss, but she actually smiled.

"You... you _do_ understand... don't you?" She stroked her fingers over Blake's ears, first the good one, then the bad.

"Yes," Blake purred. "I wish _you_ could understand that."

Even if Blake hadn't been fortunate enough to learn how to speak the human language over the years, she wouldn't have needed Weiss' words of love to know she loved her.

Weiss showed her love in many different ways other than simply saying it.

It was in the way she woke early every morning to feed her.

It was in the way she always made time to play with her at night.

It was in the way she touched her as if Blake's existence truly _meant_ something.

She knew Weiss loved her a million times over. She just wished Weiss knew she felt the same way about her.

Blake was miserable at the thought of being left behind in just three days' time. But she didn't let that stop her from doing her best to provide a bit of comfort for Weiss now.

She let her purr rumble throughout her chest, so that Weiss could feel it.

Even after all these years, Blake had never forgotten or failed to keep her first promise to Weiss. But now, she realized she wouldn't be able to keep the second one.

She had promised to be with Weiss for the rest of Blake's own life.

But now...

Shortly after Weiss fell asleep, Blake's purr came to an abrupt stop. Despair clutched at her heart as she slowly backed away and slipped off of Weiss' sleeping form.

Blake jumped off the bed, pried open the door, and ran as quickly as her legs could carry her. She skidded to a halt in the living room, where all of Weiss' packed bags were now shrouded in evening darkness.

The fairies were all asleep up on the shelves and window sills, but Blake couldn't afford to be quiet anymore.

"Penny!" she yowled. "Penny, please!"

The fairy in green woke right away and hurriedly flew down to her.

"Blake! What's the matter?"

"I can't go with her! I can't go with Weiss!"

Penny nodded sadly.

"I know. I heard what her father said-"

"But it's not that simple!" Blake cried. "I made a _promise_ to her, Penny! I promised I'd be with her for the rest of my life, and now... now... I won't be able to..."

She upturned imploring golden eyes onto the little fairy, her claws kneading into the carpet.

"Penny, please. You've got to help me. There must be some way. There must be something your magics can do. Make it so that no other human can see me except for Weiss. Make it so that she's allowed to bring me. Anything!"

Overwhelmed, Penny flew back a few inches.

"Blake, I can't do those things. At least, not as quickly as you'd need me to. Altering the rules of a human school would take months, because I'd have to change all kinds of things, including peoples' minds. I wouldn't be able to do it alone, either. And there's no way I could make you invisible to everyone except Weiss. If you're invisible, you're invisible to all humans, and that would include her."

Blake hissed in frustration, lashing her tail.

"There must be _something!_ "

Penny looked away.

"I'm not sure, Blake. I'm sorry. I don't know what I can do to help you. I really want to, but I just don't know how."

Dejected, the little fairy left her and returned to her shelf, where she curled up miserably.

Blake didn't know what else she could do. Her grief manifested itself in a series of mournful yowls, cries of sorrow that filled the entire house.

She cried until her throat was sore, and she had no choice but to go limping back to Weiss, where the pillow case was stained from her tears.

* * *

Their final days together came and went.

Weiss made sure to stay with Blake every second she possibly could, pampering her, feeding her all her favorite food flavors, and petting her until she fell asleep.

Those days passed by all too quickly.

Now, the two of them were waking on the morning Weiss was set to depart.

Seven long years of love and affection were coming to an end within a matter of hours.

Weiss could hardly stop crying all morning long. She'd unpacked all of Blake's supplies and put them back into the den for her.

While her father began taking Weiss' luggage out to his car, Weiss knelt in the living room with Blake in her arms, sobbing into her fur.

"I-I'm... going to miss you so much... Every second of every day, I'll be missing you, Blake... I'll... come back as often as I can. I'll try to take days off work and come back every weekend. I'll... I'll..."

Her trembling voice tapered off helplessly. She didn't know how much more time Blake had left in this world. If her father had let Weiss finish her final year of high school and go off to college a year later, Weiss might've been able to linger in this house long enough to see Blake through to the end of her days.

But now, she would have to leave her beloved friend behind, never knowing if this might be the last time she'd ever see her.

It was unbearable, to think that any moment when she'd be off at this new school, that Blake's health might be dwindling.

At the very least, Weiss had begged her father to monitor Blake's condition and to call her right away if anything seemed to be amiss.

"If... If anything happens to you..." she hiccuped. "If anything happens to you, Blake... and I'm not here for you, like you've always been for me... I'll never forgive myself..."

Sadness and sorrow cut into Blake's heart like claws as she listened to Weiss cry. The cat did her best to curl her own claws gently into Weiss' shirt in an effort to hug her as a human would.

She could only manage a small, feeble purr now as she tucked her head beneath Weiss' chin and rested there, savoring every last second with her. She could feel Weiss' chopped little breaths in between her sobs, feel the way her grip kept tightening little by little, not wanting to let go of Blake...

Her father came back into the house, and announced it was time for Weiss to go.

Weiss cried so hard. Harder than Blake had ever seen before.

If Blake herself had been able to produce tears, she knew she would've been doing just that.

When Weiss tried to put her down, Blake mewed softly, brokenly.

"No... please... don't go..."

But she realized she was only making this harder for Weiss.

So Blake pressed close to her one last time, then allowed herself to be set down onto the carpet.

As Weiss looked down at her, her tears never stopped dripping, her blue eyes filled with a mixture of awful pain and heartbreaking love. She reached out her hand and stroked Blake's back a few times, then traced her nails up along the underside of her chin, around to her cheek, then up to her ears. She massaged Blake's chinked ear one more time, then bent forward to kiss her head.

"I love you, Blake..." she whispered. "I love you _so_ much. M-More than anything... I promise I'll never stop loving you as long as I live..."

She wiped her eyes and sniffled deeply.

Blake returned the words to her.

"I love you, too. I love you so much..."

Now more than ever, it hurt to know Weiss couldn't understand her.

Blake watched as the girl who had saved her life stood up and turned away.

Weiss walked towards the door where her father was waiting for her outside. She left a trail of tears seeping into the carpet behind herself, a trail that Blake followed desperately-

-right up until the door was closed in front of her nose.

She could still hear Weiss' sobs as the girl walked down to the driveway. Blake hurried to jump up onto the nearest window and watch her go.

Weiss limped to her father's car and got in. And as it started to drive away, she looked up and saw her beloved cat.

Blake bore her gaze into Weiss' tearful blue eyes for as long as the street would allow, until the car that took Weiss was completely out of sight.

Blake howled.

The sound began at the pit of her stomach and worked its way up her throat to be heard, a low, mournful, forlorn cry.

She yowled at the empty house where Weiss had just been only minutes before.

She yowled so sorrowfully that the fairies all stopped their merry work and were silent.

She yowled at the window where she'd last seen the car taking her away.

She yowled for hours until that very same car returned, but only a man emerged.

At that point, she jumped down and ran into Weiss' bedroom, leapt up onto her bed, and continued her mourning.

But even after he'd walked in through the door, Blake never stopped yowling.

Even in the late afternoon, when he'd filled her bowl with food and tried to bring her back into the den, Blake never budged from Weiss' bed.

She yowled into the late hours of the night, until she had no voice left.

Some false flicker of hope inside of her made her believe Weiss would be coming back any minute now.

But she never did.

Blake had exhausted herself. She curled up on Weiss' bed, hoarse and ridden with anguish.

She'd never once slept alone in this house, not since she'd been allowed into Weiss' room nearly eight years ago.

But now, that room was empty and cold.

It seemed much larger without Weiss here. Everything seemed more intimidating, and less appealing.

And Blake knew that wherever Weiss was, she was huddled up alone in some strange bed, crying her heart out.

* * *

Blake barely ate or moved for the next several days.

She stayed atop Weiss' bed, sniffing the remnants of her scent, and yowled for hours on end.

The whole house seemed quieter and sadder, even the fairies.

A week soon passed, and Blake kept expecting Weiss to come back home for at least a day or so, but she never did.

Blake more or less subjected herself to spending the rest of her life this way, mournful and lonely. Those feelings might even turn out to be what spelled the end for her.

About ten nights after Weiss had left, Blake still lie on her neatly-made bed, breathing in the lingering bits of the girl's familiar scent. She had done her crying for the evening, and had miserably settled down to close her eyes and let sleep come and take her.

That was when the fluttering of tiny wings reached her ears.

She cracked open one eye, almost disinterested in whatever the fairies would have to say to her. She felt nothing really mattered anymore. There wasn't much that could faze Blake now.

The cat watched as Penny hurried into the bedroom, a faint glow of brightness in the dark.

"Blake!" she called out. "Blake, please come with me!"

The cat lifted her head slowly and blinked.

"Why? Is... Is Weiss home?"

The hopeful note in her voice vanished as soon as Penny shook her head.

"No, that's not it. But Blake... I think I've found out a way for you to see her again!"

That was the only thing in the world that could've still motivated Blake to leave that bed behind.

She was up on her paws in seconds, her old joints aching and sore, but she didn't care. If there was any chance she'd be able to see Weiss again with Penny's proposition, she'd try it.

Penny waved her to the doorway, and Blake flicked her tail, indicating she needed a moment. She hadn't moved very much in days, and she was feeling her age now more than ever.

She made the jump down onto the floor and hissed slightly as the landing impact sent a jolt through her body. Grunting, Blake stretched herself out a bit more, then followed after Penny as quickly as she could.

The fairy led her down the hallway, into the living room, and then to the parlor. She paused near the front door. Blake flicked her tail.

"What is it, Penny?"

"Hold on!" the ginger-haired fairy said. "I've got to open the door for you!"

"For _me?_ Why?"

"Blake, you've got to come outside for this!"

"What?" Fur bristling, Blake backed up a pace. "I've never been outside all my life without a carrier and a human close by! Why would you make me go out there alone in the middle of the night?"

"Blake, you've got to trust me! This is part of how you can see Weiss again!"

Again, those words made the cat freeze in-place.

She stayed put now as she watched Penny hover near the door's lock. With her tiny fingers, she reached into the mechanics of the lock and moved things around until it clicked and the door opened.

"Come on! Help me open it!"

Cautiously, Blake pawed the door open enough so she could slip through. There was a screen door as well, and once Penny had unlocked that, she pushed on the handle high up while Blake pushed her weight against the door down below. With their combined efforts, they managed to get it open.

Instantly, Blake's senses were overwhelmed by the outdoors. Crickets and frogs were chirping loud enough to make her ears ring. She needed to fight off her instinct to drop into a crouch and start prowling around the territory.

There were thousands of scents, some belonging to other cats, all of which filled her nostrils and hit the roof of her mouth in a plethora of unknown identities.

Fur bristling until it was all completely on-end, Blake stepped slowly out into the tough grass, her golden eyes wide and alert for any signs of danger.

Penny, however, was the most energetic Blake had seen her in weeks, probably the most excited she'd been since losing her bond with Weiss, even.

"Penny!" she hissed. "Get on with it, please! Why did you have to bring me out here in the middle of the night?"

"Because-" Penny spun around to face her, then waved her hand in a signal. From the nearby bushes, two more fairies emerged. "We're going to help you get to Weiss!"

Blake's eyes widened when she recognized the other fairies as Ruby and Yang. She'd only seen them several times within the past few years, all times they'd come over to visit Penny for tea.

Blake's fur began to lie flat as her ears perked up.

"But... how?"

"Glad you asked!" Yang said.

"We all agreed it's the only way to do it!" Ruby added.

"What?" Blake pleaded. "How can you help me see her again?"

To that question, Penny replied:

"Blake, we're going to make you human!"

* * *

 **A/N: If you've seen Dash's artwork and comics, you should've known this was coming!**

 **If you like my work, you can support me on P-a-t-r-e-o-n as Kiria Alice!**

 **Please review!**


	6. Human Hearts

**A lot of you had questions about how the fairies would transform Blake and how she'd be able to provide for herself as a human. Don't worry, this chapter answers all of those questions and more!**

 **If you like my work, you can support me on P-a-t-r-e-o-n as Kiria Alice!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.**

* * *

Chapter 6. Human Hearts

Blake couldn't believe what she'd just heard.

In fact, she was so astonished, she was almost certain she hadn't heard Penny correctly.

The cat shook her head incredulously as her wide gaze traveled around to each of the three fairies.

"Wh...What? What do you mean you're going to... make me human? H-How? What will-"

"Please," Penny said. "Let me explain, Blake. I was thinking about all of this a lot for the past couple of weeks. I thought about the suggestions you'd made and why they couldn't work. You know, how you'd said I could try to cast magic that turned you invisible to everyone but Weiss, or to somehow make it so that you would be allowed at the school with her.

"And I realized what the issues with those suggestions were! They both involve altering _other_ peoples' minds! If I were to make you invisible _just_ to humans, then theoretically, _every_ human on the planet would have to be made unable to see you, including Weiss. The second scenario would mean altering tons and tons of papers from the college that state pets aren't allowed and implementing the assumption that they _are_ allowed into the minds of thousands of students, workers, and their relatives.

"In both of those cases, there's far too much magic that would be required. It would take a hundred fairies for something like that."

Here, Penny paused, to let Blake absorb what she was saying. The cat nodded very slowly and tried to make sure she understood.

"So none of those would work... because it would mean altering a bunch of other humans, right?"

"That's correct!" Penny affirmed. "It would take a lot of fairies and a lot of magic to alter a lot of human minds. But that brings up our solution now."

With a smile, Penny flitted down to hover just in front of Blake's nose.

"But Blake, how many fairies do you think it would take to alter just _one_ single cat?"

Blake's whiskers twitched, and her tail lifted up out of the grass.

"...Three?"

"Precisely!" Penny gave a little tumble in midair. " _That's_ our answer, Blake! If all we're going to do is alter _one_ body instead of a million minds, that's completely doable! Ruby and Yang agreed to help!"

"Yeah!" Yang pumped her tiny fist into the air. "We're gonna do it!"

"We're gonna help you see Weiss again!" Ruby exclaimed.

Blake was feeling her heart begin to beat a little faster, thrilled to consider the possibility of this new idea. But then the doubts and questions began to arise.

"But... would I even be able to live as a human? All I've ever known is life as a cat. Am I going to have to learn how to walk on two legs and put on clothes and eat with those weird, sharp stick-like things and... and go to _school?_ " She wrinkled her nose at the thought.

Penny hummed for a moment and thought about it.

"I think if the three of us focus enough while we're casting the spell, we can make it so that all of those things will already be inherent in your mind. You won't need to learn them. We'll just plant the ideas into your body and your mind as your form changes so it'll all be natural to you!"

Blake wasn't too sure about that, but she wasn't about to challenge a fairy's words.

"All right," the cat said. "But... what about my... my age?" she wondered, nervously. "As a cat, I don't have much longer to live. Does that mean I'll be transformed into an old human as well?"

Dismay started to creep into her chest, overriding the little thrill of excitement from before.

But Penny was shaking her head quickly.

"Not at all! You're seventeen years old as a cat, so you'll be seventeen years old as a human, too! That'll almost be like sending you back to being a kitten in cat years!"

Blake had to admit she liked the sound of that. She'd never really gotten to enjoy her kittenhood since she'd been living with that horrible man. Maybe reliving her youth as a human wouldn't be quite so terrible. Especially if she got to do it with Weiss.

And that brought up her final question.

"And... what about Weiss? Will she even recognize me?"

At that point, Penny frowned for the first time that night and shook her head.

"That's the only thing we can't prematurely cast into all of this. We can alter you, Blake, but not Weiss as well. We can't make her recognize you right away. That's something you've got to figure out for yourself."

Blake swallowed and gave a single nod.

Yang flew up to her next.

"But remember," she warned. "You can't just go up to Weiss and tell her, 'Hey, I'm your cat and some fairies transformed me into a human!' That won't go over well at all."

"Yeah," Ruby added. "She'd probably avoid you..."

"And besides," Penny continued. "Ever since she lost her bond with me, her innocence and beliefs in things like fairies have pretty much disappeared. As a human girl going to school and becoming an adult, she has other things to worry about. She won't believe in fairies anymore like she used to."

"Right..." Blake sighed. "I didn't think it would be that easy. But I'll think of something. I'll have an entire human lifespan to work with, after all. Even if it takes me a year or two to make her recognize me, we'll still be able to be together for... fifty or sixty or seventy more years after that!"

"Um..." Penny timidly raised her hand up to stop Blake. "That's the other thing, Blake. We... we can't give you the _entire_ human lifespan. Our magics are only strong enough to give you a small amount of time..."

Blake's ears flattened.

"What? What do you mean you can't give me the entire lifespan? Does that mean I'm just going to die as a human at an early age?"

"No, no, of course not!" Penny piped. "The magic would work in... a certain way. Yours isn't the first case like this in all of history so far, you know. Fairies have done this before with animals wanting to be human, and even humans wanting to be animals.

"It works like this: Ruby, Yang, and I can cast magic to make you a human tonight, and for a short amount of time, you'll be able to maintain your human form. If you make Weiss recognize you within that amount of time, and if the two of you can prove you love one another, then that will become the new magic.

"Your love will take over from there, and that will be what can maintain your human from for as many years as you can live. So long as you and Weiss love one another, you'll be able to live as long a human life as any."

Blake listened carefully, trying to sort things out in her mind.

"So then... what would happen if Weiss rejected me or... or didn't love me anymore...?"

It was painful to ask, and even more painful to think about. But she had to ask.

Penny looked to the sister fairies, then back to Blake.

"Then the spell would be broken. You'd return to being a cat. Think of it this way: if we transform you tonight, your life as a cat will be frozen at seventeen years. You'll become a seventeen-year-old human then. If you can prove your love to Weiss and she can prove her love for you, the two of you can be together as humans for however many years of your lives.

"But if at any point, say in forty human years from now, something happened that would break the spell, you would revert back to your cat form at seventeen years old. From there, you could either live out the last few years of your life as a cat, or come to us again and have us turn you into a human, and the process would repeat exactly as it starts tonight."

Penny's more serious expression faded as she finished explaining everything.

"But don't worry! I've lived with you and Weiss long enough to know that you'd never stop loving one another! The spell won't break over something like if you two were bickering or got into a disagreement or something small like that.

"What would break it would be true, _mutual_ hatred and loathing for one another, something neither of you would ever be able to recover from. And I know that could never happen. Not between the two of you."

Blake was glad Penny had that kind of faith in her. She knew she'd never be able to hate Weiss, even if the girl rejected her as a human for some reason. Blake would always love her, no matter what.

"All right..." She let out a long breath. "You'd said the three of you can only give me a short amount of time to be human. That's the time limit I have for making Weiss recognize me. How long do I have?"

Penny again turned back to the other two fairies and mumbled briefly with them. When they came to a conclusion, Penny gave the estimation.

"We can give you one month."

Blake almost flinched. She'd lived through many months together with Weiss, enough for Blake to be able to get a concept of how humans measured time. She understood how many sunrises "one month" amounted to, and Blake didn't think it was a very large amount of time.

But if it meant she could see Weiss again...

If it meant she'd be able to talk to her and have her _understand_...

If it meant Blake might be able to spend the rest of her _human_ life with Weiss as she'd promised her...

She would make that month worth it.

Blake could feel the resolve wreathing its way around her heart. With every passing second, she was closer and closer to seeing Weiss again, through the same eyes, but from an entirely new perspective. Just the prospect of being face-level with her was stunning to Blake.

Nervous excitement coursed through her veins as she faced the trio of fairies now.

"Is there anything else I should know about all of this?"

Ruby flitted up to her now and shared a tidbit.

"Oh! We should probably tell you that you'll have to keep some part of your cat form when you become a human. If you fail to get Weiss to recognize you within that one-month timeframe we give you, that feline part of yourself will take over your human form and you'll become a cat again."

"Buuut~" Yang put in. "If you _can_ get her to recognize you, that part of you will vanish, and you'll be 100% human!"

"That's right!" Penny said. "You should choose what part of you you'd like to remain when you're a human. I'd recommend something like your tail, not your fur."

That all sounded odd to Blake, the fact that she'd have to be walking around as a human with the tail of a cat. She'd probably be taken away and locked up somewhere before she could even get to Weiss. And surely, Weiss would be frightened out of her wits if she saw a strange girl with a cat's tail approaching her.

Blake would never be able to get near her if that were the case.

"Well... as much as I think I'd need my tail for balance when walking on two legs... Is it possible to keep my ears?"

All three of the fairies nodded right away.

"Yes!" Penny said. "Perfect! Those can be much more easily covered than a tail could be! We'll make sure to conceal them for you!"

"Thank you," Blake sighed in relief. "Is there anything else?"

Again, the fairies consulted for a moment. They made sure they'd gone over everything Blake would need to know and do during the month of the spell.

After a few minutes, they decided they'd said all they could.

"There's just... _one_ last thing..." Penny informed her timidly. "You know how humans... lose their belief in fairies, right?"

Blake nodded slowly.

"Usually, they can see you when they're very young, but once the adults dissuade them, the children begin to believe you're not real. So they lose the ability to see you within their first five years."

"Exactly," Penny agreed. "And... we'll be turning you into a _seventeen_ -year-old girl. So that means-"

"I... won't be able to see you anymore..." Blake finished, her eyes wide in dismay.

The three fairies nodded.

"Yes," Penny told her. "That is the unfortunate truth. You won't be able to hear or see or sense us. But at the very least, thanks to the spell, you'll still have the knowledge of our existence! And I can promise you now that I'll stay by your side until your month is up!"

"I promise too!" Ruby said.

"I promise ya, Blake!" Yang added. "Even if you won't be able to see or hear us, you'll at least know you won't be alone in all of this."

Blake was feeling a stuffiness in her chest now. Trading her animal form for that of a human's would have many benefits to her in terms of what she wanted to do.

But it also meant she'd have to sacrifice the keen senses that allowed her to see the fairies.

Her heart sank a little, but she was still resolved. Their promises resonated within her, and it was nice to know she wouldn't be alone in all of this.

Still, Blake took one last moment to look around at the three of them.

Ruby and Yang, the fairies who had drawn the curtains aside so the other humans could see the abuse Blake had been suffering at the hands of her old owner.

And Penny, the fairy who had lived with her and taught her for many years, and helped her understand Weiss.

Blake held all of their gazes – silver, lavender, and teal. When she tried to find her voice, it was raspy, but there was the faintest purr in it as well.

"Thank you all so much. That you'd... that you'd help me be with her again... it means the world to me." Blake strode forward and gently bumped her nose to each fairy's cheek in turn. "Ruby... Yang... Penny... Thank you so much. I promise I'll never forget you."

Each of them reached out to hug Blake gently around the neck. Ruby started to sniffle into her fur a little bit.

"We'll always be with you, Blake! And Weiss, too!"

"And," Yang said. "If you end up turning back into a cat, you'll be able to see us again."

"But hopefully," Penny tacked on. "If all goes well and according to our plans, you'll be with Weiss from now on, and you'll never see us again."

Blake dipped her head and let out a full purr.

"I'll miss you all. But even though I won't be able to sense you anymore, I'll know you're always with me. Thank you. For everything."

With one last look to all of them, Blake dipped her head.

At that point, the three little fairies wiped their tears and flew into position all around Blake.

She heard them murmur some things, things spoken in the fairy language that made no sense to Blake's ears. She could feel something in the air, and recognized it as their magics. It swirled and glimmered around Blake, until it was enveloping her completely.

She felt herself changing.

There was a bit of a strain put on her body as her bones stretched and expanded. Her posture went from four paws to two legs, and her spine went from being horizontal to the ground to vertical.

Her tail shrunk away along with the rest of her fur, but it seemed all of it was gathering atop her head. Long strands of hair flowed down from around her ears, which were all that remained unchanged.

As her fur receded, she started to shiver in the cold night air. But the fairies provided clothing for her right away, covering her sensitive skin with soft, light layers of fabrics.

Though Blake's cat ears remained as promised, a new set of human ears also formed on the sides of her head. For a brief moment, she heard the world through two full sets of ears, to the point where it was so discombobulating, she nearly fell over.

But right away, the fairies concealed her cat ears beneath a bow, which blocked out the sounds so that only her human ears could serve the hearing function.

She could feel her paws becoming hands, her pads becoming palms, her claws vanishing in favor of weaker, wider nails.

But despite all of the strange, frightening outward changes she was going through as she relinquished her birth form, it was _inside_ her body that felt the best.

Once the initial ache of all of her bones and organs growing in size had passed, Blake could feel the ache of her age dissipate.

The strain that had one sat atop her old, brittle bones was replaced with a strong, youthful firmness. Time seemed to turn back for her now, and a rejuvenating sense of energy washed throughout her veins as her transformation was finally completed.

She could feel her heart, beating much more fully and more slowly than it had used to.

It was almost terrifying at first, when she opened her eyes and got a good look at herself. Her fur was gone, replaced by the same, smooth pink skin that covered Weiss and her family. Her claws were gone, and her teeth had shrunk and flattened out.

Her cat ears remained, but they couldn't hear now thanks to the bow around them. Her human ears couldn't move, but there was still a chink in her left one, a scar that couldn't be healed even with the transformation.

Her deep golden eyes were the only visible reminder of what she had once been.

Blake staggered on her two feet now, finding there were shoes covering her toes. The absence of her tail unbalanced her, and she fell to her knees with a gasp. The rush of air that filled her lungs was much larger than she'd expected it to be, and she choked.

It took her a moment to get used to breathing like this, with her back upright now.

But not a second after she'd gotten used to breathing, a new pressure swelled up, this time not in her chest, but in her head.

Tiny sparks of electricity started shooting through her brain as human knowledge poured into her mind. The human concept of "time" washed over her, and Blake now understood just _how_ long she would have to maintain this form – one month.

There were things she now understood as numbers, shapes, and objects, all by their human definitions. All of this was knowledge she would need to be able to enter Weiss' university and attend classes as though she'd always been a normal human girl, who had been learning and studying these topics all her life.

But on top of all of those images and bits of information, there were _words_.

So many words.

Words she realized she'd heard a million times before as a cat, but had never been able to comprehend until now.

Her vocabulary expanded, and somehow, she knew the meaning of all of those words, as well as how to use them.

As soon as the buzzing in her head died down, Blake scrambled to find the sounds that would produce one word in particular. She realized it would sound different now that she was using a human language and not the language she'd known as a cat.

Slowly, she tried to form the sound she wanted to hear.

"Whe... Wuh... iss..." She shook her head, stuck out her tongue a little, and tried again. "Wah... Wei... ss... Weiss..."

At last, she found it. The one word that meant the most to her.

Blake smiled, an expression she'd seen on the humans and fairies alike many times before.

And then, something else happened.

An awful stinging sensation began creeping up behind her nose and eyes. It sent her into a panic, her heart already starting to thud as she feared something was going wrong.

A few seconds later, water began dripping from her eyes. It was hot and it stung, but somehow it was relieving.

Blake was crying. For the first time in her life, she could shed tears.

And she cried for a long time out in the grass.

She cried for all the times she'd been unable to in the past.

She cried for the times when the man had kicked her and beaten her.

She cried for the times when her stomach had been hollow and hungry.

She cried for the times she'd wished she were dead...

And then she cried for the day she was carried out of that horrible place.

She cried for the relief of being fed and taken care of by Glynda.

She cried for the joy of finding fellow companions and fairies in the shelter.

And at last, she cried for Weiss.

She cried for being found and rescued by that little bright-eyed human girl.

She cried for being blessed enough to have been given a second chance at life - with her.

She cried for all of the happy times she'd experienced at Weiss' side.

She cried for the sake of loving her, and for the pain of losing her.

For a long time, Blake could only cry and choke out her name.

"Weiss... W-Weiss.."

Sorrow.

Grief.

Loneliness.

All things she'd known before, but now she was able to define.

She thought of Weiss, where she might be right now, what she might be thinking, wondering if she were crying, too...

Then, different words came to Blake's mind.

Affection.

Joy.

Love.

Eagerness.

Determination.

Resolve.

At long last, her tears finally stopped. Blake wiped her face to find her pants were damp from all the crying.

But she'd already wasted enough time like this. She didn't have long to keep this form.

She needed to get moving. Now.

With effort, Blake pushed herself back up onto her two feet, swaying slightly until she found her balance. She took a few deep breaths and glanced around the yard.

She saw nothing but shadows and bushes.

But she knew they were still there.

"P-Penny... Ruby... Yang..." she murmured. "Thank you."

Blake could feel a warmth curl around her heart, and she knew they were beside her.

Now, she turned her eyes upon the street that had taken Weiss away from her, aglow with orange lamplight.

Blake already had an idea in her mind of how to get to Weiss.

She started moving her feet, and made her next breath useful.

"I'll find you, Weiss..." she vowed. _"I promise."_

* * *

. . .

. .

.

Leaving home was the most difficult thing Weiss had ever done.

All her life, she'd grown up being so sheltered, so conditioned to depend on her father and his money. So now that she was on her own, everything was terrifying and intimidating beyond belief or explanation.

As soon as her father had dropped her off at her intended future residence and university, there had been several smiling adults awaiting her arrival to help her unpack and start adjusting. They'd brought her to her room, a dorm meant only for one person, with only one bed and a large workspace.

They'd given her information pamphlets, gotten her a campus ID card, helped her set up her school email account, and gotten her started with searching for classes she'd need to take in her first semester. They'd all been very helpful and even kind to her.

But ever since she'd found out Blake couldn't come with her, Weiss hadn't smiled once.

Even after everyone had left her room so she may start unpacking, Weiss never felt content or relieved for a second. Everything was too exciting, not in a positive way, but in a highly stressful one.

On her first night alone there in what was meant to be her new room, she'd curled herself up into a ball on her mattress and cried quietly to herself.

The next day, she'd had to join a group of incoming freshmen students on a tour of the huge campus. The tour took nearly three full hours, and by the time she'd returned to her lonely dorm room, Weiss all but collapsed from fatigue.

She called Winter for a while after that, telling her everything that had happened, how their father had more or less forced her to move out and start college early, and how she hadn't even been able to take Blake with her.

Winter sympathized with her greatly, offering words of condolence and motivation. She promised that the next time both Weiss and herself had a free weekend day that she'd come visit her little sister and take her out to lunch.

Weiss felt a little bit better after talking to Winter.

But the second she hung up, the anxieties returned to her, creeping in like thorns beneath her skin.

Every night she slept without Blake felt so horribly wrong to her. She missed the small pool of warmth her cat had used to produce, either at her side or the center of her chest. With the school semester now beginning in the autumn, nights were gradually starting to become cold. Weiss sorely missed Blake's comforting presence at her side.

And she had to wonder how Blake was coping without her.

She knew the cat must've been confused and nervous now that Weiss had gone and left her.

Blake wouldn't understand what was happening. She wouldn't know why Weiss wasn't coming home anymore to play with her and pet her and sleep beside her.

Weiss' heart broke a little more every time she thought about her old cat, alone and cold curled up on Weiss' bed, wondering where she'd gone.

It hurt to think about Blake crying out in the night in her mournful little strings of yowls.

Weiss hadn't contacted her father since the move, because she was still very upset with him for making these arrangements behind her back. But Weiss wanted to talk to him, about Blake if nothing else.

However, for the next week or so, Weiss became swamped with work, even though the semester classes hadn't begun yet. She needed to register for her classes, then order textbooks and other necessary supplies for them.

She needed to get used to taking her own laundry down to the designated room to get washed, and she needed to start buying food she could keep in her dorm, rather than just buying cheap meals on campus every day.

There was so much she suddenly had to do for herself. It didn't seem fair that all her life she'd had everything provided for her, and now suddenly she was thrown out into the world and expected to thrive without so much as a set of guidelines on how to do so.

It was difficult for her to talk to other students on campus. They all eyed her with disinterest and even disgust. When Weiss worked up the courage to ask questions of a few of them, she received harsh replies, with content ranging anywhere from jabs about her age to her height.

That was how Weiss found out her arrival here had made its way around campus in the form of rumors. Everyone knew she was a privileged rich girl sent here a year early by her father, with his credit cards to pay for anything and everything she'd need. For that, they all resented her from day one, and no one seemed willing to help or speak to her.

All of this only added to Weiss' misery.

Her father had said it would be good for her to get out of their house and start over anew, to find a path for herself and start to feel better.

But college certainly wasn't fixing her. In fact, Weiss was convinced it was making things exceedingly worse than they'd ever been back at home.

She'd only been there for a week and a half, and by then, she'd only discovered a mechanical routine of waking, eating, working, and going to sleep again. It was essentially all she'd ever done back at home, only there she'd had Blake, her family, and a familiar environment.

None of those things were here.

Everyone was hostile to her except the adults, who seemed to baby her in knowing she was a novice to this way of life. Weiss didn't know who she hated more.

She knew life here would have been significantly less stressful if she'd been able to take Blake along with her. If she could take care of her cat and sleep with her at night and know she could always come back to her after a stressful day, Weiss knew she would have felt much better about everything.

But Blake's absence and thoughts of her potential passing during Weiss' own absence from home only served to stress her out twice as badly.

Weiss wasn't at all looking forward to her first week of classes. Perhaps her homework assignments would distract her from things, even just a little bit.

The only comfort she'd known at home that she felt she could rely on here was drowning herself in work.

And that was truly a horrible feeling.

* * *

It was the weekend after her first days of classes had come and gone.

Weiss didn't really like any of her classmates or professors, as she felt they were all looking upon her with rueful gazes. Whenever she was forced to introduce herself, the rest of the class broke out into mumbles about her, enough to turn Weiss into a taciturn person after only a few days.

The girl who'd once strained to participate and provide answers in order to demonstrate her exceptional knowledge and how well she'd been paying attention to the lessons was now a quiet, unresponsive basket case. She soon became nervous to speak up, and every time she did manage to raise her hand, her heart always pounded in a nauseating way as she waited to speak.

The weekend was a blessing for her. She slept in a few extra hours and didn't leave her room if she didn't have to. She busied herself with homework, and once she'd finished all of that, she started reading through her textbooks' chapters and taking notes for future weeks' classes.

It was Sunday morning when she received a call from her father. Weiss drowsily pushed herself up from her bed, debating whether or not she wanted to answer and speak to him. She hadn't since she'd gotten here, and she hoped he understood just how upset she was about all of this.

But she'd have to tell him she was doing fine and that everything was going perfectly well.

As she clicked the button to answer the call, she took a deep breath and got ready to start lying.

"Good morning, Father..."

She was waiting for him to start bombarding her with questions.

But to Weiss' surprise, his voice was low and resentful.

"Weiss... your cat..."

The fear that seized her heart in that instant was crushing. Within seconds, she felt she was going to be ill. Her entire body went numb, and her lungs were barely working.

"F-Father...? What about Blake...?"

It was obvious that it was nothing good. If the cat was sick, Weiss would demand her father come fetch her and drive her back home. But Weiss couldn't stop fretting that Blake had suffered a fate worse than illness.

Her father took a moment to respond, every second of which sent more shockwaves of terror through Weiss' heart and forced more stinging tears out from her eyes. In her fear, she didn't even realize she'd resorted back to her more innocent way of addressing him.

"P-Papa...?"

He heaved a sigh and finally went on.

"I'm not sure how it happened. I always lock and close the doors at night. You know that. But this morning, I woke up and the front door was open a bit. And the cat was gone. It seems she got outside."

Weiss' heart dropped, and her stomach flipped, twisted, and heaved. She was shaking so badly she nearly dropped her cell phone.

"Wh... What do you..."

Her whisper of a voice barely reached him on the other end. The man kept his voice quiet.

"As I said, I'm not sure how it happened. She just wasn't here this morning to eat her breakfast. I searched the entire house and there's no sign of her."

Weiss covered her mouth and sobbed into her palm, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"F-Father, I don't understand! How could this happen? Don't tell me you... did it on purpose-"

"Of course I didn't. Don't be foolish. She just got out somehow last night and that's all there is to it."

"Then... did you at least go outside a-and try to look for her?" Weiss cried. "Please, Father! Put up posters o-or ask the neighbors if they saw anything! She could still be in the area! She could still-"

"Weiss."

The way he said her name silenced her words, but not her tears. Her father went on in a solemn voice.

"There's no point in going through all of that trouble. That cat's never lived a moment outdoors, so for her to get out at this old age... There are cars and coyotes and-"

"Stop it!" Weiss shouted. "Father, stop! How could you say such horrible things?!"

"Because it's the truth, Weiss. That's just the truth."

"No..." She tried to sit up in bed, but she felt faint and ended up slumped back against the wall. "F-Father, please... you've g-got to at least... l-look for her..."

"There's no use. I'm sorry."

Weiss barely managed to press her trembling thumb onto the hang-up button before the phone slipped limply from her fingers.

She collapsed back onto her bed, her face buried into her cold, damp pillow.

She didn't move all day, her cries filling the air even long after the sun had gone down.

* * *

 **A/N: Things might be looking up for Blake, but what about poor Weiss? How is Blake going to get to her in time, and make Weiss realize it's her in only a month? It isn't going to be easy, and it might not even be possible...**

 **Blake may have gotten a real human heart in this chapter, but she doesn't yet realize just how fragile it is. Unfortunately, Weiss knows all too well.**

 **If you like my work, you can support me on P-a-t-r-e-o-n as Kiria Alice!**

 **Please review!**


	7. Trial And Error

**It's time for Blake to try and figure out how to get to Weiss. But it's definitely not going to be simple. Not at all.**

 **If you like my work, you can support me on P-a-t-r-e-o-n as Kiria Alice!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.**

* * *

Chapter 7. Trial And Error

Blake assumed it was going to take her a long time to locate Weiss and actually get to her.

She expected it would take her at least several days to figure out how the human world worked.

But evidently, the fairies had taken care of just about everything for her.

The very night of her transformation, after she'd started walking along the street in the darkness, a car with bright lights had been coming down the road towards her. The word "TAXI" shown atop the hood, and all Blake needed to do was give a wave, and the vehicle had pulled over to collect her.

After taking her seat, her brain had already given her the words she'd need to tell the driver.

"Atlas University, please."

The man nodded, and off they went.

They drove for a little over an hour. The highways were more or less free of other cars at this hour of the night, after all. Blake could soon see a massive space up ahead, complete with multiple large buildings and parking lots.

By the time the taxi had came to a halt in one of those lots, the driver told Blake the amount of money he expected to be paid for the ride. Blake froze, realizing she didn't have any money with her.

But something told her to check her pants pocket, and when she did, she discovered a generous amount of bills there. With this, she paid the driver, then thanked him and exited the car.

As the taxi drove away, Blake stood there on the sidewalk, dwarfed beneath the massive campus before her. She took a few minutes to get her bearings before advancing another step.

As she was tucking the rest of the money back into her pockets, Blake discovered there were more things tucked inside the fabrics. She pulled out a university ID card, which would allow her to traverse the campus now without being suspected of trespassing. There were also a few folded-up papers that looked like they'd need to be presented to persons of administration.

"Wow..." she murmured. "You guys really went all-out. Thank you."

She knew she'd be completely lost without the assistance of the fairies.

Once she felt she was ready to go on, Blake began heading down the lit sidewalks that guided her past the vast parking lots and onto the campus. Everything was still and quiet now, save for a few people here and there, sitting on benches and chatting beneath the stars.

Blake's boots led her towards a large campus map. Her ears flicked beneath her bow as she started to concentrate while looking over the jumble of scribbles and colorful shapes. Blake had never read anything before, but now, as her eyes scanned the scribbles, they made sense to her. The signals transferred to her brain and produced an understanding in her mind, so that she could speak the words aloud.

"Okay... I am here... administration is... there!" She gave an excited little jump now that she knew she could read.

Blake hurried off towards the correct building, knowing that every second counted on her trial of borrowed time. But when she arrived at the administration building, all of the lights were off and no one was inside. Blake discovered it would be closed until 9AM the next morning. Her shoulders slumped.

 _Now what? I guess I could just walk around campus all night..._

Even though she was in human form now, Blake still had a few residual traits left from her life as a cat.

In addition to her hidden hears underneath her bow, her eyes still adjusted very well in the darkness as she began wandering around. She also didn't feel tired thanks to her innately nocturnal tendencies.

She passed many large buildings, some of which had lights on and others that didn't. At one point, she spotted a stray cat meandering through the grass and paused. Blake had seen plenty of other cats before, but never from human eyes. She had no idea if she should hiss at it or try to pet it like Weiss did to her.

She made eye contact with the animal, strangely comforted by its presence. But it was even stranger to think that she'd once been the same as him.

Had she been in her feline form, she might've fought with him, or just chatted.

But as she was now, he avoided her, though he didn't run. He just kept watching her as she passed by. Blake couldn't really explain it, but somehow she felt that he knew her secret.

There were at least a dozen other people she passed by, either going out for a night walk or lounging beneath trees with puffs of smoke coming from their mouths. Blake couldn't help but wrinkle her nose whenever she passed someone like that.

But eventually, she got onto a new kind of scent, one that was much more pleasant.

Up ahead was a smaller building, where the lights were all on. A sign in the window read "Cafe open 24/7" and Blake could see a few students inside with food and drinks in front of them.

Blake had plenty of money in her pockets, and her stomach was growling.

She pushed in through the doors and looked around the place, wide-eyed and wondrous. A couple of the other people there looked at her curiously, but no one bothered her.

Blake watched someone else order food and did as they had done. She went up to the counter and looked over the choices on the menu, unsure of what kind of human food she would like.

But as the words configured into sensible things in her mind, she recognized a few of those words:

 _Turkey, Salmon, Tuna..._

Blake's mouth was already watering. Of all the flavors of food Weiss had fed her in the past, tuna had always been her favorite.

Blake ordered a sandwich of it. The woman behind the counter smiled.

"Of course. Anything to drink?"

Blake hesitated. She'd only ever drank water before, so that was what she asked for.

"Just water, please."

"All right, your total is $3.50."

Blake was now an expert at counting money, so she handed the woman four singles and received two quarters back. But when she was given her water and food, Blake noticed it wasn't _just_ tuna. There was bread and green plant leaves on it as well. But she didn't want to look strange and start asking questions, so she took everything back to a table to sit down.

There, she poked at the food and picked off the pieces of leaf. The scent of the tuna was enticing, and once she was satisfied with the green stuff being gone, Blake dug into her food.

She was thankful she'd remembered to hold the sandwich in her hands and eat from it that way rather than just shove her face in as she'd eaten as a cat. The bread tasted funny to her, but her human body didn't reject it, so she didn't have a problem with it.

But of course, the tuna was the best part.

Blake devoured every last bite, then let out a content sigh.

She watched some of the other people wiping their mouths with little pieces of cloth to clean themselves. Blake recalled Weiss' family had done this as well, and she recognized it as a way of grooming. So instead of licking her hand and drawing it up over herself, Blake cleaned herself off with a napkin.

Then it was time to figure out how to drink from a bottle.

Again, she observed the people around her and did as they did. It took her a moment to unscrew the cap, but once it was off, she failed to get at the water simply by lapping her tongue inside the bottle. Instead, she apparently needed to tilt it back and let the water fall down her throat.

Blake did her best, looking up at the ceiling as she put the bottle to her lips. She lifted the bottom of the bottle up above her mouth, expecting to only get a bit of liquid.

But instead, the entire bottle's worth of water came pouring down into her mouth and directly down her throat. Blake coughed, choking as she hunched forward over the table, water leaking everywhere and all over her clothes now. A couple of other people gasped in alarm, but the ones closest to Blake's table only laughed.

"Wow!" One boy snickered. "Just got back from the bar or something? Looks like you've had a few drinks, hun."

Blake gasped, wiped her mouth off a bit, and looked at the boy who had spoken.

"No... this is the only drink I've had..."

The blonde boy laughed again.

"Suuure it is. Say, you wanna come back to my room with me to spend the night?"

Blake paused in answering. She had read over the papers in her pocket enough to know that they would provide information about her own room once she handed them over to administration. But until 9AM tomorrow morning, Blake didn't have anywhere to stay.

She looked up at the tall boy who was smiling down at her, waiting for a reply.

"Um... I guess I could-"

"Oh, no you don't!"

A girl suddenly stood up from her seat and intervened between Blake and the boy. She had long red hair tied up just like Weiss often tied hers, and her eyes were deep green. She tapped the boy's chest and pushed him back a pace before looping her arm around Blake's.

"No way is she going to spend the night with you, Sun! You're such a player!"

"Aw, come on! You make me sound like a criminal, Pyrrha! I wasn't gonna _do_ anything!"

"Sure you weren't," the girl sighed. "Leave her alone. I'll take her back to the dorms."

The boy grunted and turned away mumbling. The girl sighed, then turned back to Blake.

"I'm sorry about that. He's a bit of a troublemaker. Oh!" She quickly let go of Blake's arm. "I'm sorry! It was just out of habit! My name is Pyrrha, by the way. What's yours?"

"Blake-"

She cut herself off with a small gasp. She hadn't even thought about what she'd say if someone asked what her name was. She knew she should've made up another name, but she'd just revealed this one as a reaction.

Nervously, she looked up at Pyrrha, hoping she didn't think Blake was weird. But the girl seemed happy to learn her name.

"Well, Blake, where's your dorm room? I can take you back there if you'd like. That way you can avoid boys. Most are like Sun and they just want to have some fun, but there _are_ some real creeps around too, believe it or not. Especially if you've had a few drinks tonight."

Blake's brow furrowed.

"Like I said, I've only drunk water tonight."

But Pyrrha didn't laugh loudly like Sun and his friends had before. Instead, she giggled.

"All right then. Either way, let me walk you back to your dorm."

"Uh, actually, I haven't gotten it yet," Blake explained. "I just got here. I can't hand in my papers and information until tomorrow when the administration building opens."

"Oh!" Pyrrha gasped, then quickly lowered her voice. "You don't have a room but you're already ordering and eating at the cafe? Did they at least mail you your ID card?"

"Um yeah. I have that."

"Well that's a relief. One less thing for them to scold you about." Pyrrha began leading Blake out of the cafe and into the cool night air. "Then I suppose you don't have a place to spend the night. I'd be more than happy to accommodate you. Though I should warn you now, my roommate does snore a bit."

Blake felt her lips curling up into a smile.

"That's okay. I'd really appreciate if I could spend the night with you, Pyrrha."

"That's grand! Then let's head back now. It's nearly 2:30 and you'll need some sleep if you want to be up bright and early to get to administration by 9."

So Blake followed Pyrrha to the girl's dorm building. She understood that this was where all of the girls who lived on-campus resided during the school semester.

Which meant Weiss must have lived here somewhere, too.

Blake kept her senses alert for any potential signs of her, but it seemed Pyrrha and herself were some of only a handful of people out and about at this hour.

Pyrrha brought Blake into her dorm room, where the lights were off and someone was clearly sleeping inside. Pyrrha gently roused her roommate by the name of Nora and explained the situation to her.

With the help of Pyrrha and Nora's kindness, Blake was made a makeshift bed of blankets and pillows on the floor, which was where she spent the night. And even though Nora snored a bit loudly, Blake didn't mind.

It wasn't the same as sleeping beside Weiss, but this arrangement was nice. These girls were kind to her, and sleeping stretched out on the floor between their beds as a human was better than sleeping curled up alone on Weiss' empty bed as a cat.

. . .

Blake slept for several hours and woke refreshed. She thanked Pyrrha and Nora many times as the three of them gradually roused themselves.

"Is there um... anything I can do to repay you?"

Blake wondered if she should give them money like she'd done for the taxi driver. But Pyrrha only shook her head with a smile.

"It's quite all right! But if you see me around campus sometime in the future, make sure to say hello!"

Blake nodded at the simple request.

Pyrrha told her the fastest way to get to the administration building from here. Blake thanked both girls again, and then headed out.

There were only a few girls in the hallways again that morning, but Blake made sure to look closely at every one of them. They all had brown, black, or yellow hair though, and while some even had colors like pink or purple, none had the gorgeous pure-white hair like Weiss did.

Of course, she wanted to find her as quickly as possible.

But Blake was also terribly nervous about encountering Weiss in this form. She still needed to think over what she would do and say when she finally met Weiss like this.

But she planned to work something out once she had her dorm room sorted. For now, Blake had other things to tend to, which would leave the remainder of her month for her to locate and approach Weiss.

She went into the administration building and handed a woman there her forms. Blake wasn't sure how any of this worked, but as soon as the woman read everything over and saw Blake's ID card, she led her back to the girl's dormitory.

Whatever Penny and the others had done with their magics for Blake, it included having a special dorm room prepared in advance for her.

Blake had her own room with plenty of furniture and space. The woman handed her a key and wished her luck with getting settled, then took her leave.

Blake opened her closet to find enough clothes to last her for a month so long as she kept up with her laundry. There was a nice bathroom as well, and Blake was getting the urge to clean herself off before doing anything else. But she instinctively knew that humans bathed differently than cats did.

She took a shower, which was a nerve-wracking process, considering she'd never really favored water. When she removed her bow and allowed the fur of her cat ears to touch the water, she flinched and yelped.

But her human form didn't seem to mind the wetness. Blake let her body move on its own as she washed her skin and hair, then got to drying off with a towel and putting on new clothes.

Once that arduous process was over, Blake sat on the floor of her room with her hair soaking into her shirt and pondered what to do next.

The woman had left her with some more papers, so Blake got to reading those. There was a map of the school and a list of courses, credits, and information as well. Blake realized she would need to register for classes for the upcoming semester, just as the other students did.

She ended up leaving her room to find the library, where she took a few minutes to learn how to use a computer, login with her personal information provided by the fairies, then got to choosing classes.

"Let's see. How many should I be taking? I don't even know if I'll do well in them..."

After all, she hadn't exactly gone to school and studied these topics for years in advance like everyone else here had.

But the fairies had granted her enough knowledge to get this far, so Blake had faith she could tackle the challenge of these classes with their assistance.

So she scrolled through the course options, looking over everything that seemed to be interesting. But before she made any decisions, Blake paused to think for a moment.

 _I shouldn't just take random classes. I should try to take courses Weiss might've chosen. That way, maybe I'll be able to see her sooner._

Again, Blake scoured the long list of options. Ultimately, she decided to choose three classes.

 _Business and marketing. Because Weiss' father wants her to learn how to take over the family business when she's older. Then mathematics. I remember seeing a lot of numbers and lines on her homework, and now I know they weren't letters and words, so it was probably math._

Then, Blake looked to the title of the final course she'd chosen: "Earth Studies and Gardening."

 _Penny told me that Weiss made and saved up her money to take care of me by pulling weeds and working in the neighbors' gardens. So if there was any class she could choose to take and might enjoy, it would be this one._

But now, Blake was faced with a new issue; choosing the times and days of the week to attend these classes.

Weiss had always been an early-riser, much like Blake herself. She liked to work and move about in the morning and midday hours, then relax at the end of the day.

Blake deliberated long and hard about her choices.

In the end, she decided to take her math class on Mondays and Wednesdays at 8 in the morning, and the business class right after that at 9:30. She put the gardening class on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 4 in the afternoon, since that was around the time Weiss would've typically gotten home from middle school and went out to do her work pulling weeds.

After an hour or so, Blake sat back, feeling confident about her choices and decisions.

However, she hadn't expected to be thwarted so soon.

Evidently, the math and business classes at those days and times were already full, and Blake couldn't get herself into either of them. She needed to push each class back a few hours, ending with math at 9:30 and business at 11. The gardening class stayed the same.

Once she'd finalized her class times, a billing screen popped up. Blake almost yelped when she saw that the total cost of those three classes would amount to over five thousand dollars.

Panicked, she began to look around, wondering how in the world she was supposed to pay for all of this. Wherever Penny, Ruby, and Yang were, they must've sensed her dilemma and acted quickly.

Blake got a notification from her email a few minutes later, stating that she'd been awarded a scholarship that would pay for her entire semester of classes.

With a sigh of relief and thanks to her invisible companions, Blake stood up. Finally, with her schedule now official, she left her computer and headed back to her dorm room.

She only left her room one more time that day to get food (two more tuna sandwiches), before there was nothing more for her to do other than lie on her bed and close her eyes. She thought through everything that had happened within the past few days and nights, replaying events.

 _The fairies turned me into a human. I'm younger now, and if I can live as a human from now on, I'll be able to live as long as Weiss can. I can keep my promise to her of staying by her side for the rest of my life, and that'll be longer than just twenty years._

It was certainly nice to think about. Should things go well and Weiss recognized Blake and accepted her before the month was up, everything would be like a dream come true. Everything would be perfect.

 _But... if it doesn't work out... I'll turn back into a cat, and then what...? I can't even imagine..._ She turned over, feeling uncomfortable. _I'll do it right. I'll make sure Weiss knows who I am. Somehow. I'm here, and Weiss is, too. I'll find her, and we'll get through this no matter what..._

For now, believing was all she could do.

She hoped that tomorrow she could start acting on that belief.

* * *

Unfortunately for Blake, things became hectic for her right away.

She was receiving tons of emails and notices, demanding she order books and get more papers filled out. And she couldn't afford to ignore these things, because if she got into trouble, she could be thrown out of the school, and she didn't think the fairies would be able to pull enough strings - even with their magics - to get her back in again.

Blake had no choice but to conform and do what was necessary in order to stay here.

What bothered her the most was that everything she was being made to do was _supposed_ to be for an entire semester, but Blake only _actually_ had one month to do what she needed to.

She wasted five whole days doing things that were unnecessarily necessary, so to speak. Tacking up a calendar to the back of her door and crossing out wasted days sufficed to let her know just how much time she had left.

And it didn't seem like a lot. Not at all.

 _I'll just have to wait one more day before classes start,_ she reminded herself. _Then at least I'll be able to see if I'm in any class together with Weiss. I'll go from there..._

She had considered asking around about a girl with long white hair, but Blake didn't want word to somehow get back to Weiss that some random girl whom she'd never met before was asking about her. That would almost guarantee that Weiss would avoid her if she ever saw Blake.

So she was forced to wait one more day until classes finally began...

* * *

Blake was up early that Monday morning.

She changed clothes, ate, and grabbed her books before hurrying out the door.

She found it very strange, but a little amusing, to now be doing the things she'd watched Weiss do for many years.

The possibility that she might be able to see Weiss today fueled her to hurry along more quickly to her class' building.

It was bustling with students, most of whom looked more tired than excited, talking in low, dreary tones rather then excited ones. Blake had never seen such miserable humans before in all her life, at least not quite to this degree.

She slipped through them, making her way towards the classroom with the corresponding number that she'd written in her planner. Her hope was that if she got there a bit earlier than anticipated, she might catch the previous class leaving.

However, by the time she got to her room, it was empty aside from two other unfamiliar people. Her shoulders slouched as she selected a seat and sat down.

 _That's okay. After this, I'll see if she ends up in the same room as where my business class is._

For the next hour and a half, Blake was subjected to severe boredom, more horrendous than anything she'd ever suffered before in all her life. At least when she'd been left alone in the house as a cat, she had toys to play with and fairies to chat with.

But she had no such luxuries here. She wasn't even allowed to take a nap.

Whatever the teacher was saying was pointless to her.

Unlike the rest of the students here, she didn't actually _need_ to learn things in order to get credits and graduate. Perhaps that might be a goal in the future if things went well and she kept her current form. But right now, she honestly couldn't care less.

As soon as they were dismissed, Blake hurried out the door to head to her next classroom a few buildings away. As she weaved through the crowds, she glimpsed every face she passed by, looking for striking blue eyes and stunning white hair.

Her heart started to pound when she thought she saw a streak of white up ahead, mingling throughout the crowds.

Blake could feel the adrenaline coursing through her. Should she encounter Weiss now in between classes, Blake would try to bump into her on purpose. From there, she would apologize, ask the girl's name, and then ask if there was some way she could make it up to her, which would ideally lead to meeting up with her again some time in the near future.

Blake had thought this method through in previous nights and believed it to be the best option she could come up with.

She was still too far away to be sure if what she was seeing was the familiar white ponytail she hoped it was. It easily could've been clothing or materials other people were holding, or even a trick of her eyes.

Even so, Blake made it a point to find out for certain.

She did her best to hurry without running, not wanting to anger other people by bumping into them or risk being thrown off-course. She was a bit closer now, and thought she could see a light blue dress...

Her heart was racing now.

 _It really might be her-_

"Why, hello there!"

Blake came to a screeching halt amongst the crowd when she was suddenly intercepted. Looking up, she saw a familiar face, but not the one she'd hoped to see.

It was Pyrrha, beaming down at her with a bright, inviting smile. Nora was beside her with a couple of boys.

Blake flashed a glance to Pyrrha, then the blue dress beyond which was now disappearing into the crowds.

"Pyrrha-" she gasped. "I-"

"It's so nice to see you again, Blake! I'm glad you seem to be doing well since we first met! How are you adjusting? Did you manage to get your room?"

Blake could tell that Pyrrha was just being genuinely concerned and friendly, and she didn't mean to thwart Blake. But she couldn't help but feel frustrated as she lost sight of the splash of white and blue.

Blake heaved a sigh and addressed the red-haired girl.

"Yes. Everything went smoothly. Thank you again for your help the other night."

"Don't mention it! It was my pleasure! What classes are you taking this semester, if you don't mind my asking?"

"Uh, actually I have my business class right now..."

"Oh! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to keep you waiting! Go, go, I don't want you to be late because of me! I'll see you around, Blake!"

As Pyrrha and her friends left, Blake felt her cat ears perk up at the sound of her name. But since it wasn't Weiss who had said it, it felt awkward.

She shook herself off and attempted to follow after the blue dress she'd seen, but she didn't see it anymore. Blake sighed, and realizing she was going the wrong way, turned around and headed for her next building.

 _It probably wasn't her. It could've been anybody. There are thousands of people here and any of them could be wearing blue dresses... And if it_ was _her... then she'll probably be around the same area the same time next week after this class. Maybe I can catch her then..._

But Blake hated to think she would have to wait another whole _week_ to potentially find Weiss. She'd _already_ wasted over a week of her month as a human, so a second week would put her hour glass as half empty.

Again, she shook herself off and rushed to her classroom, but again found no signs that Weiss had ever been there.

As soon as that boring class ended, Blake retreated to the cafe to get another tuna sandwich, then went back to her dorm room. She slept for the remainder of the day and into the night, her body still obviously used to a cat's sleeping pattern.

But no matter what body she was in, her dreams were always of Weiss.

* * *

It was the next day when she received a spark of hope.

In the afternoon, Blake went to attend her first gardening class. As she sat at her desk, she doodled idly in her notebook, tuning out the rest of the world.

As the professor read off the roster of names, Blake only looked up and replied "Here" when he called out "Blake Belladonna", the fake last name the fairies had forged for her.

Blake had just gone back to doodling when she heard him read off a few more names alphabetically and waited for the responses.

"Lie Ren."

"Here, sir."

"Weiss Schnee."

And Blake's world came slamming to a halt.

The ears beneath her bow shot up, making the fabric twitch and jolt, drawing the attention of several of the people around her, but Blake didn't care.

She almost shouted out " _What?_ " but quickly managed to bite her tongue and keep the surprised cry down.

The professor looked around the room and Blake did as well, but no one was there to respond to the call of Weiss' name. The man behind the desk sighed and shook his head.

"Absent on her first day. Not off to a good start..."

Blake quickly went from surprised to furious.

 _What gives you the right to say that? You don't know her!_

Blake had lived with Weiss all her life, and in those years, she had only seen Weiss stay home from school perhaps one or two days a year. Unless her illness had been severe enough to keep her from getting out of bed, Weiss had _never_ missed school or work.

So for her to miss her first class here, Blake knew something must have been wrong.

But at the very least, it was comforting to know Blake had managed to get at least one class together with her. If Weiss showed up on Thursday this week, Blake would get to see her for sure.

But it was unnerving to know Weiss was absent today. Blake could only hope she was all right and that she didn't intend to drop this class for any reason.

As the professor went on reading names, Blake actually received a second surprise as another of her classmates gave some information.

The professor called out the next alphabetical name.

"Emerald Sustrai."

"Yup." The girl one row over and behind Blake raised her hand lazily. "Oh, and if that Weiss girl is who I think she is, she's in my math class, too. She was in class yesterday morning, but she seemed really upset or something. She left halfway through. Guess she was sick or had some issue going on."

With a shrug, the girl leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. The professor nodded, then continued calling names.

But Blake was more anxious than ever now.

 _So Weiss really_ did _get into that math class... Damn, if only I hadn't been late to register, I could've gotten in with her..._

But there were even more pressing matters than that now.

 _She left early? Why would she have left her first college class_ ever _early? Is she really sick? Did something happen? What could've-_

And then it hit her. Like a car, it _hit_ her.

Blake hadn't thought about what might've happened after she'd left the Schnee's home.

It had been a little over a week since Blake had left, but she knew Weiss' father must have contacted his daughter and told her Blake was missing.

She couldn't even begin to imagine the pain Weiss must've been suffering through, even right now. It must have been bad enough to cause her to leave her first class early, even after she'd already known of Blake's disappearance for several days. It was _still_ eating away at her...

Blake's heart was starting to thud again, to the point where it was physically making her chest ache. She needed to get out of here, but if she left now, she'd probably be reprimanded.

So she had no choice but to stay put, though she only ever harbored worried thoughts about Weiss.

As soon as the professor ended the class, Blake was off and running again, wide-eyed and frantically searching for a familiar white ponytail.

But she found nothing.

She decided to hang out around the girl's dorms for a little while that evening, sitting down at a picnic table outside. She pulled a book out of her bag and made it appear she were reading, but in reality, she was keeping an eye on the girls passing in and out of the building.

However, even after waiting for several hours, Blake recognized none of the hundreds of girls she saw passing by. Feeling scared and sick, she limped her way to the cafe to buy some dinner, but didn't even manage to eat half of her tuna sandwich this time.

That night, Blake went to bed feeling more awful than ever since she'd changed forms.

 _Weiss... please be okay... I'll find you soon. Please just wait until then..._

* * *

Wednesday passed just as fruitlessly as the days before it had.

Blake was forced to retreat to her dorm room after classes and once again cross out another day on her calendar.

She only had fewer than twenty days left now.

* * *

On Thursday morning, she once again sat at the picnic table and searched the faces of the girls passing by the dorm building.

Pyrrha ended up spotting her again and hurried over to greet her and have a quick chat.

By the time the afternoon rolled around, Blake headed back to her room to get her supplies for her 4PM class, and then headed off. She prayed that Weiss would be feeling better and show up to their gardening class today. If she missed this class again, Blake wouldn't get another chance to see her until next Tuesday, which would mean she'd have to waste even more of her dwindling time, waiting.

As she arrived at the classroom, she paused before entering. Blake took a few deep breaths first and tried to coach herself.

 _Okay. If she's here, then I'll just have to try and not draw attention to myself. I don't want to talk to her right away. If I do, I might get carried away and end up blabbering more than I want to. I'll just keep quiet and then... maybe at the end of class I'll try to bump into her as an excuse to apologize and talk to her. That should work..._

Plus, just getting to _see_ Weiss again would definitely be enough to sustain Blake through this boring class to come.

Once she was ready and had steeled herself, Blake slipped into the classroom.

But again, disappointment hit her like a brick to the head.

The classroom was almost full, aside from her own desk and three others, but none of the people occupying those desks were the person she was looking for. Blake glanced at the clock to find there were only two minutes left before class officially began. Weiss would never be late to a class without documentation, and if she wasn't here by now, it was highly unlikely she'd show up at all.

Blake slumped into her seat heavily and dropped her head into her hands.

 _Maybe I need to come up with a new plan. I don't think this is going to work. I've got to think of a new way to find her..._

As she was raking her brain for ideas, the professor walked in, followed by a few more students.

"All right class, let's begin."

Blake felt her stomach flip once again, a sense of dread and helplessness washing over her from the inside out.

But before she could lift her head, her ears caught sound of a flurry of footsteps from down the hall, nearing this room.

Her bow twitched as a breathless voice sounded at the door.

"Sorry I'm late, Professor."

Blake's heart almost stopped.

She...

She _knew_ that voice.

She'd know it anywhere.

A rush of tears welled up in her eyes as she lifted her head, and her gaze met a beautiful, dreamlike sight.

She was there, wearing a sky-blue dress, her white hair tied neatly into a ponytail over her right shoulder. Blake could tell her cheeks were slightly red, as though she'd been crying.

The girl must've sensed her gaze, because she turned to look, her bright blue eyes locking directly with Blake's.

She seemed to freeze for just a second.

Blake did as well.

All of her plans of how she'd do this were forgotten as her heart acted before her mind could think.

Her lips parted, and out tumbled a small, disbelieving rasp of her name:

" _Weiss_..."

* * *

 **A/N: Blake's come so far. They both have. What will Weiss think of this new girl?**

 **If you like my work, you can support me on P-a-t-r-e-o-n as Kiria Alice!**

 **Please review!**


	8. Testing Boundaries

**Me and my notorious cliffhangers. Sorry to keep you waiting! Now it's time to see how Weiss is going to react, and what Blake is going to do.**

 **If you like my work, you can support me on P-a-t-r-e-o-n as Kiria Alice!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.**

* * *

Chapter 8. Testing Boundaries

Blake could only stare at her, her mouth slightly ajar as she finally beheld the girl she'd been searching for - the girl she'd thought she'd lost.

She thought she could see a spark of recognition in Weiss' gaze, just for a brief second as their eyes locked. Blake could feel her heart lifting hopefully as Weiss took a step towards her, and for a brief second, all the rest of the world faded away.

Weiss paused just a pace away from Blake's desk and looked her over, staring a bit longer into her eyes in particular.

But what Blake had believed to be recognition was now clearly skepticism.

Weiss' tone when she next spoke was nothing like the warm, excited voice she'd always used with Blake in the past. Now, Weiss' voice was cold, hard, and suspicious.

"Have we _met_ before? I don't believe so."

Blake realized most of the other students were silently watching the exchange as well. She didn't know how to respond, and she wasn't calm enough to think it through, so she just blurted out whatever came to mind.

"I've just heard about you. That's all..."

"Heard about me?" Weiss growled. "What do you-"

"Ladies?" The professor interjected with a pointed grunt. "I wouldn't want to interrupt your conversation, but may I begin my class now?"

Weiss whipped around and dipped her head to him instantly.

"I'm very sorry, sir."

When she spun around again, Weiss didn't even spare a second glance at Blake as she strode past her down the aisle to take one of the remaining empty seats.

Blake's heart was still thumping a mile a minute as the thrill of it all began to die down.

Of course, she was relieved by the fact that she'd actually managed not only to find Weiss here, but to get an entire class together with her, twice a week.

But she was also miffed by the fact that she hadn't kept her cool when facing her.

 _Now she definitely thinks I'm weird..._

But maybe the little incident could work in her favor. Perhaps at the end of class, Weiss would approach her again and demand more answers, which could potentially provide an opportunity for Blake to converse with her more in addition to apologizing.

Therefore, for the entire class that day, Blake planned out what she would do after class. She didn't raise her hand or participate once, for fear the professor would call on her by name. He hadn't read names off the roster either, but had simply marked people silently.

Blake didn't want to risk other people revealing her name before she could tell it to Weiss herself. She was afraid of what might happen if Weiss heard her name and Blake wasn't prepared to give a proper, believable explanation for it.

Weiss' seat was a few rows over and one behind Blake's, which made it somewhat easy for her to steal glances at her. But she didn't want to come across as any creepier than Weiss might've already believed her to be, so Blake did her best to limit her sidelong glances.

She was just so happy to see Weiss again.

She was wearing some of the clothes she'd brought with her from home, clothes Blake had seen her in many times before. Her hair was still tied into its usual odd ponytail, and her blue eyes were strictly focused on the front of the room.

It was clear Weiss was behaving as a very serious student, despite the fact that she didn't really even want to be here. But her behavior here only reinforced her hardworking nature, a trait she'd always harbored ever since her earlier years.

However, there was more to it than just that.

Blake could guess Weiss was implementing some kind of coping method. Her cheeks really were still a bit flushed, and despite the focus in her eyes, there was a great deal of fatigue as well.

Blake couldn't help but be worried about her.

As a stranger and classmate, she knew she had no right.

But as Weiss' best friend and sworn lifelong companion, she knew she had _every_ right.

As the class dragged on, Blake couldn't wait for it to be over, to see if Weiss would come back over and talk to her or even question her. Just getting to see Weiss up close again for herself would've been enough for Blake right now.

But she couldn't help but notice how quiet the other girl was being.

Blake had always known Weiss to be one of, if not _the_ most frequently participating student in any given class. Weiss had always talked about it at home, be it to her family or in private to Blake herself, how she'd always been the one to respond to the teachers' questions while the rest of her classmates had sat there, unresponsive.

But now, Blake was seeing just the opposite. Other people gave their disinterested replies and opinions, but Weiss never once raised her hand or spoke up. It made Blake feel a bit uneasy.

 _What's happened to her? Could my running away from home really have affected her this much? Enough for her to leave her classes early, show up late, and never speak up?_

She assumed it was probably a combination of her own evident disappearance from Weiss' life, coupled with the intimidating new environment. Unlike Blake, Weiss hadn't had everything prepared in advance and handed to her by the magic of fairies. She was struggling here, all alone in this new place, her mind burdened by the fact that she was at a disadvantage and was still required to excel, in spite of all the turmoil happening behind the scenes.

No one knew about Weiss' pain.

No one except Blake.

She spent all of her time daydreaming about Weiss, stealing glances whenever she could, her mind swirling with memories and thoughts of the girl, and how she planned to interact with her next.

By the time the professor had dismissed them, Blake had formed a plan.

Weiss was the first one out of her seat, striding toward the door at a quickened pace. She cast Blake a brief glance which had more elements of a glare to it, but didn't pause for a second or address her again.

Blake felt her heart sink and her shoulders slump as the plan she'd come up with went to waste and Weiss walked out the door.

 _No... I can't just let it end like this! I've got to try!_

Blake grabbed her bag and hurried out into the hallway after Weiss, spotting her amongst the mingling crowds. She dashed after her, only partially driven by cognizant thoughts. The primary thing pushing her onward now was instinct.

She weaved through the crowds, her eyes locked on Weiss' back as the girl headed for a pair of doors to a less congested area.

This was her chance.

Blake raced after her and pushed through the doors as quickly as she could.

What she hadn't realized in her desperation was what was _behind_ these doors.

A small staircase led down to the first floor of the building. In her rush, Blake ended up slamming the door into Weiss' back, shoving the girl towards and over the edge of the first step with a shriek.

Blake's heart screeched to a halt as she was forced to watch her fall, her books and pencils dropping to the ground and scattering every which way.

Again, Blake could only react on instinct, panic forcing her to move her feet.

She lunged forward down the first few steps and grabbed Weiss by the arm, working against the pull of gravity to right her. Unfortunately, it resulted in a rather rough, yet necessary, yank of her wrist, causing her to cry out in pain once again.

But Blake held fast to her with one hand and the railing with the other to prevent either of them from budging another step.

The instant of terror ebbed away as quickly as it had come. Blake was panting lightly as she struggled to keep a hold on Weiss.

"H-Hey... are you okay?"

Weiss was still having trouble finding her footing on one of the steps. She kept making little gasps and flinching.

"Ah-!" She grabbed the railing with her free hand to right herself, but couldn't place her right foot completely onto solid ground. "My ankle is twisted..."

Blake's ears tried to flatten beneath the bow, causing it to wiggle. She bit her lip and slowly moved down a step to get closer to Weiss. She still held tightly to her hand, now realizing this was the first physical contact she'd had with Weiss as a human.

"Can you stand...?" she wondered.

Weiss' head was still hanging, and she shook it slowly.

"No. I think I need to-" As soon as she lifted her face and saw who was holding her wrist, she recoiled. "What? _You_ again? Haven't you caused me enough trouble this morning? And now you push me down the stairs?"

"N-No!" Blake wailed. "I didn't mean to! It was an accident! Honestly! I-I was just-"

"Whatever. Save me the explanation..." Weiss grunted. "I... I really think I need to go- ah! ...To the nurse..." She looked away again, hiding her eyes.

Blake could tell she was about to cry.

 _Oh no, please don't... You've done enough of that..._

"I can take you there," she said instantly, going down another step. She reached out cautiously, offering her free hand now, not wanting to touch her without permission any more than she already had.

Weiss winced as she looked up again, but seemed to calm down a little when she regarded Blake's outstretched palm. With a small sigh, Weiss first wiped her eyes, then reached out to take her hand.

"Fine."

Slowly, Blake curled her fingers around Weiss'.

Her hand that had always been so big to Blake in her previous form now felt so small. In the past, Weiss' hand could take up space on a quarter of Blake's entire body. But now, it curled into her palm with space to spare. Blake didn't want to squeeze too tightly for fear it might hurt her somehow.

Once she was certain she had a good grip on Weiss, she loosened her hold on the girl's wrist as well. Blake gave her a moment to catch her breath and get her bearings, letting her lean her weight against the railing and wall while still making sure to secure and support her hands.

Blake longed to pass her fingertips over Weiss' smooth skin, to feel her for the first time in weeks, and for the _very_ first time in her human form.

But despite the urge to do so, Blake knew it wouldn't be acceptable, so she refrained. She just considered herself lucky that she'd managed to find and speak to Weiss at all, with still a little over half a month remaining.

But she _did_ feel horribly guilty for what had just happened.

 _I could've... knocked her down completely... She could've been injured much worse than this... all because of me..._

She had to assume the fairies had played some part in preventing the fullness of the potential disaster that had almost happened here, and Blake sent silent thoughts of appreciation to them.

At last, both girls seemed ready to move. Blake took a deep breath and looked Weiss over quickly, shyly.

"Are you ready?"

"Not so fast," she sighed. "I'd assume we should pick up our things to prevent anyone else from slipping and falling." She nodded to the slew of papers and pens now littering the staircase.

Blake seemed to take note of the carnage for the first time and swiftly nodded.

"I'll get everything." But that raised a new issue. "Do you think you can stand here on your own for a minute? I'll be quick."

She didn't like the thought of leaving Weiss stranded in the middle of a staircase with only one good foot to stand on.

But Weiss had always been stubborn and quick to deny it if she needed someone else's help. She puffed out her chest a little bit and gave a sharp nod.

"I'll be fine. I can manage this much by myself, thank you very much." She flicked Blake's hands away from her own and instead held onto the railing to steady herself.

Blake wasted no time in scurrying around the staircase to gather all of the fallen items. She haphazardly stuffed her own things into her own bag, not caring for the materials she didn't actually need.

But when it came to Weiss' belongings, she took great care in handling them and arranging them neatly within her bag. She smoothed out ruffled book pages and papers, and reconstructed broken pens. But she made sure not to spend too much time doing this, as there was still a much bigger issue at hand.

Blake finished her task quickly, then put her bag on one shoulder and Weiss' on the other. Before the girl could ask what she was doing, Blake gave an explanation.

"It's the least I can do after pushing you. Let me carry your things. And let me take you to the nurse. Please."

She understood full-well that Weiss didn't really have very many other options, considering the fact that she couldn't walk on her own.

But Blake wanted to give her the option to say no to her. She knew she'd probably frightened her a bit, and she'd definitely crossed a line by accidentally shoving her down the stairs. Blake wouldn't blame Weiss if she asked Blake to go find someone else to help her now.

Guilt swept through her in thick waves, smashing up around her heart and making her posture slouch. Blake's eyes were trained on the stairs now, and that familiar stinging was rising up behind her eyes-

"Didn't we already decide on that?" Weiss huffed, her voice snapping Blake out of her trance. "Well? Are you going to help me or not?"

Blake straightened up right away.

"Y-Yes, of course! If it's okay..."

"It's fine..."

Blake offered Weiss her arm again, making sure to wait until Weiss touched her first once she felt comfortable enough to do so.

Weiss clung to Blake's hand, understandably unsteady given her position on the staircase. Blake bent down a little and had Weiss drape her other arm across her shoulders, then Blake slipped her free hand across the girl's back to hold onto her side.

They faced the bottom of the staircase, and Blake could see they had about ten more steps to go until they reached flat ground again.

Blake braced her hand against Weiss' hip to prepare her, then stepped down. She could feel Weiss' grip tighten on her skin, her nails digging in slightly in her nervousness. Blake longed to reassure her, and that innate desire seemed to manifest itself.

Possibly in the worst way.

It seemed her cat ears hadn't been the _only_ trait from her previous form the fairies had let her keep.

Blake could feel an instantly familiar rumble working its way up her chest. Horrified, she quickly swallowed it back down, choking in the process. Weiss stiffed at her side.

"What's the matter?"

"N-No!" Blake gasped. "It's nothing! I'm sorry..."

She couldn't afford to let her purr manifest itself. If Weiss – or anyone else, for that matter – discovered she was a human being that could _purr_ , Blake would definitely be taken away and locked up before the month was up, and then she'd turn back into a _cat_ and-

She shook her head, incredulous at what had almost happened. She'd only wanted to try and help Weiss feel better, but she made a mental note to be more careful in the future.

Weiss still hadn't budged from the step she was on. Blake gave her a small nod.

"Sorry about that. Are you ready?"

"Are _you?_ " Weiss grumbled.

Blake could feel her lips curling up into a smile, but she looked away to hide it, unsure if that would put Weiss off even more.

Slowly, Weiss hopped down to stand on the same step as Blake, balancing herself on her one good shoe. She leaned most of her weight against Blake, trembling slightly as she moved.

But Blake never gave so much as a millimeter, even when Weiss pushed against her a little. She wanted her to feel as safe and secure as possible despite the fiasco.

Blake went down another step, then guided Weiss with her.

In this manner, Blake coaxed her down one step at a time. Whenever she saw or felt Weiss jolt, Blake would pause things for a moment and let her rest before continuing.

After a few minutes, they reached the bottom successfully. Weiss let out a long sigh.

"Now comes the difficult part. The nurse's office is quite far from here..."

"Do you have any more classes today?" Blake wondered. "Are you going to miss anything because of this? ...Because of _me_...?"

Again, she hung her head and looked away.

But Weiss replied as though she hadn't even heard the last part.

"No. This was my last class of the week. I've got nothing else until Monday at 8AM."

"Would that be your math class?" Blake guessed.

Weiss shot her a glance that was half-suspicious, half-shocked.

"How did you know that?"

Blake realized her blunder a little too late, but quickly fixed it.

"Uh, it was just that... one of the girls in our gardening class mentioned she had a math class with you on Monday mornings. Th-That's all..."

"I see... Now why would she mention something like that?"

"Well..." Blake fidgeted slightly as she continued leading Weiss to the exit doors. "The professor was wondering where you were on Tuesday. You missed the first day of class."

After that, Weiss fell silent for a moment. Blake swallowed hard as she continued to walk slowly with her.

They reached the exit doors, and Blake pushed one open with her foot, then bumped it with her shoulder to allow them both to hobble through. Once they were outside, Weiss spoke quietly.

"Right. I missed class on Tuesday. And I left early from my Monday morning class because... I wasn't feeling well..."

Blake looked straight ahead.

"Yeah. That's what she'd said."

Blake longed to ask Weiss what had really happened, but she knew the girl probably didn't want to open up about it, especially not to the person who had nearly just pushed her down the stairs.

Blake also knew for a fact that Weiss didn't like talking about herself to others. She'd always confided in her cat, alone in her room, telling her of all the secrets she'd share with Blake and never once breathed a word of to anyone else in the world.

Blake knew so many things about Weiss that no one else did. But none of that mattered now, because she needed to pretend to be a total stranger to her.

It was difficult to act as though she'd never met Weiss before, which was probably why she was so bad at doing things fluently.

At the same time, she was so happy to be with her again, but she needed to be on constant alert that her body didn't betray her and end up purring.

As they continued on their way, one step and hop at a time, Blake refrained from talking. She had a million things she wanted to ask, and a million more she wanted to say, but she didn't want to end up gabbing too much, lest she make Weiss even more uncomfortable or risk revealing something she shouldn't.

But Weiss wasn't speaking either, which left an awkward silence hanging over the both of them. It allowed Blake's mind to flash back to the scenes on the staircase, how she'd almost hurt Weiss much worse than just a twisted ankle...

She was pulled back to the present by Weiss' astonished voice.

"Wh-What's going on? Are you all right?"

There was surprise and concern in her blue eyes now as she stared up at Blake. Blake blinked and realized she'd been crying again. Tears were dripping down her cheeks and blurring her vision, and her voice was coming out between whimpers.

"I... I'm sorry..."

"What are you going on about? Stop walking, let's have a seat for a moment."

Now it was Weiss who guided Blake to a nearby bench, leading her as best she could while only having one good foot to use.

Together, they sat down side by side. Blake didn't let go of Weiss until she was sure the girl was safely seated, at which point she lifted both hands to her tearstained face and sobbed into her palms.

Blake wept bitterly, overwhelmed by many different things at once. The incident on the stairs had triggered other unpleasant memories she'd been trying to suppress, and now everything was just overflowing. She was made to feel even guiltier in knowing Weiss was hurt and needed to get to the nurse, but Blake was being selfish and wasting more time before getting help for her.

"I'm sorry... I-I'm sorry..."

She felt miserable.

Horrible.

Hopeless...

And then, she felt a small hand on her knee.

Weiss didn't do anything more than touch her and keep her hand still, but it was a gesture that demonstrated she was there and willing to support Blake if she needed it. Blake sniffled again, feeling her lips rise up into a small, thin smile.

 _This is just like her... to help someone in need... even if she doesn't know them... even if they messed up and accidentally hurt her... even if_ she's _the one who really needs help..._

"Come now..." Weiss murmured. "What's all this about? Don't tell me you hurt yourself on the stairs, too?"

Blake inhaled shakily and shook her head.

"No... I'm okay... I just... I _really_ didn't mean to push you... I-I don't want you to think that I... that I did it on purpose... I-I would _never_... I'm so sorry... I would never try to hurt you..." She tapered off, her words stifled beneath chopped, heavy breaths.

 _Stupid... stop crying. You need to get her to the nurse..._

"I should be the one apologizing."

Weiss' voice cut off her thoughts, and Blake lifted her face a little bit.

"Wh-What? No, you didn't-"

"It was my fault to assume you'd done it on purpose. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. It was quite horrible of me. I guess I just..." She looked away, but her grip on Blake's knee remained. "I just don't trust people very easily. And you'd startled me this morning when you'd said my name. Even though we've never met..."

Blake couldn't help but sob again.

 _If only you knew..._

But she couldn't tell her.

Not yet.

Weiss went on in a subdued voice.

"I should've guessed that the professor had mentioned my name during the class I'd missed. That's how you knew my name, isn't it?"

Blake bit her lip and nodded, going with whatever explanation worked best for Weiss. The white-haired girl sighed.

"I knew it. And here I was accusing you of a crime you didn't commit. This is all my fault..."

Blake quickly shook her head.

"N-No! You shouldn't blame yourself. I definitely... had a big part in all of this... I-I should've thought before speaking... I should've been more careful..." Her eyes flashed down to Weiss' ankle. "Now you're hurt because of me..." Once again, she could feel a wave of guilt rising up, preparing to crash over her and drag her down again.

But Weiss' words dispersed that wave and spared her the pain.

"This is nothing," she said dismissively. "It could've been a lot worse. But you didn't hesitate for a second. You saved me from something that could've been much more painful. So thank you."

Her clear blue eyes were honest and kind now as she met Blake's gaze once again. There were even the beginnings of a smile on her lips, the first Blake could guess Weiss had shown since arriving here. But the smile never formed fully before quickly fading as Weiss turned away.

"I'm sorry for making judgements. I just... a lot's been going on recently. Something awful recently happened and I suppose I'm just... taking it out on whatever target presents itself. And that happened to be you today. So I'm sorry." She dipped her head in an honest display of repentance.

Blake wiped her arms over her eyes and sniffled repeatedly.

"I-I'm sorry, too. I just-"

"I know," Weiss said. "You've already told me. I accept your apology, so don't worry yourself about it anymore."

Blake inhaled a few shaky breaths, blinked away some more tears, and swallowed thickly.

"Okay..."

A moment of silence passed between them. Blake was a little relieved to know that Weiss' hand was still on her knee, providing a small but constant form of contact and comfort for her. It brought Blake more solace than Weiss could ever know.

"So..." She finally wiped away the last of the tears and sought Weiss' eyes once again. "You'd said that... something horrible happened. What was it?"

Weiss visibly flinched at that, and she recoiled her hand right away, her gaze falling to the ground.

"I... I'd rather not discuss it..."

All at once, her lip started to wobble, and her expression went from one of calmness to one of great distress.

Blake would've liked to kick herself in that instance.

 _Stupid! What was that for? You already_ know _what happened! And of course she isn't going to talk about something like that to a stranger!_

She quickly tried to make her blunder right again.

"I'm sorry!" she cried. "You don't have to talk about it! It's none of my business. I'm sorry..."

She was half-expecting Weiss to chase her off and demand she leave her be.

But to Blake's relief, the girl only wiped her eyes and took a few more deep breaths, though she never did lift her eyes again.

"It's all right... thank you for... for offering to hear me out about it. It's just... not something I want to talk about-"

"Of course not," Blake murmured. "I understand. I'm sorry."

She wanted to reach out and hug Weiss so _so_ badly, but she knew she couldn't. It hurt to be so close to her, but not as close as either of them needed to be to one another.

Blake put her hands to her temples and tried to quell her frantic thoughts.

 _Just end it here. Don't talk about anything else. Just get her to the nurse..._

At last, she composed herself once again and stood.

"Come on. We should go."

Weiss peered up at her past her frazzled bangs, wiped her eyes one more time, then nodded. She reached up her hand and Blake took it gingerly, slinging Weiss' arm across her shoulders once again. Gently, she helped her up, and together, they continued on their way towards the nurse's building.

It took them about ten minutes to get there thanks to their collective, limping gait. Weiss was sweating faintly by the time they got inside the building. A woman was there within seconds to inquire what had happened.

Blake was about to explain things when Weiss spared her the humiliation.

"I tripped down the stairs," she said. "That's all."

Weiss mentioned nothing about Blake's hitting her in the back with the door. Blake felt another small smile coming on as she helped lead Weiss after the nurse.

She sat Weiss on a cushioned bed and then took a step back as the nurse began doing her job. Blake watched as the woman carefully removed Weiss' shoe, examining the red, swollen skin around her ankle. She tried moving it around a bit, causing Weiss to flinch and inhale sharply. When the nurse was finished, she gave Weiss an ice pack wrapped in paper towels and had her apply it to her bad ankle.

"Just keep it elevated and put ice on it as often as you can," she advised. "If you play any sports, you'll have to sit out for a few days. The swelling should go down and you should be able to walk just fine by Monday."

Weiss dipped her head to the woman.

"Thank you."

Blake had sat on a nearby chair the entire time, just wanting to know how long it would take for Weiss to recover. Now that she knew, she didn't see any reason to linger.

Of course, she wanted to stay with Weiss for as long as possible, but she was just overridden with guilt about what had happened today. Blake just wanted to be alone now, and Weiss probably did as well.

So she got to her feet and was prepared to leave the room without another word when the nurse suddenly addressed her.

"Are you leaving?"

Blake froze.

"U-Um-"

"Because she can't walk back to the dorms by herself like this. If you're leaving, you'll need to find someone else to walk with her."

Blake's cat ears - and bow - perked up right away.

"N-No! I'll stay with her!"

With that, she hurried back to her chair and sat down again.

Weiss had leaned back against the cushioned headboard, leaving the ice pack to rest on her ankle. Blake felt a prickle of worry and nervousness shoot through her. She realized that Weiss looked much paler than she could remember.

The room was silent now with only the two of them in it. Blake spotted a small water dispenser with plastic cups on it in the corner of the room. She cleared her throat to get Weiss' attention, waiting for the girl to reopen her eyes.

"Would you... like some water?"

Weiss hesitated, and Blake knew she was debating the question. She didn't like relying on others.

But she'd already allowed Blake to help her this much, and she'd also need to rely on her later to get back to the dorms. So she must've assumed a little more reliance in between couldn't hurt.

"Please... If you could."

"Of course."

Blake hurried over to the water dispenser and quickly filled up two cups. She brought one back to Weiss and handed it to her before drinking down the other for herself. As soon as Weiss had finished drinking, Blake offered to get her some more, but the girl politely declined.

"Besides, you've already done enough for me today."

Blake fidgeted a little.

"I wouldn't mind getting you more water if you need it."

"I'm fine. But thank you."

Blake's ears wiggled in delight, but she made sure to hide their motion by turning around and tossing the empty cups into the trash can.

The two of them stayed there for about half an hour to rest for a bit. By the time Blake had helped Weiss out of bed and back onto the main campus outside, evening had begun to settle.

Blake took her time as she walked Weiss back along the cobblestone path towards the dorms. She could feel her own stomach rumbling a bit - from hunger this time, not from a purr. They'd need to pass the cafe on their way back, so she boldly decided to make another offer.

"Would you like to stop and get some food?" She kept her tone casual, even though internally she was excited about the possibility.

But Weiss only shook her head.

"No thank you. I've got food back in my room. Plus, I'd rather not walk around on this any more than I have to. I should rest it so it can heal as quickly as possible."

Blake tried not to sound too dejected.

"Oh. Right." She sighed again. "I just feel so bad. I know I'm responsible for your injury. Is there... any way I can make it up to you? Maybe I can take you out to lunch when it's better, o-or something?"

Weiss said nothing for a moment. Blake knew it was a stretch to ask her to get something to eat together after they'd only just officially met like this, and in such a disastrous way.

But Blake was becoming desperate. She _needed_ to get closer to Weiss as soon as possible and have her recognize Blake before her time was up.

She knew better than anyone that Weiss wasn't one to trust others easily, but Blake hoped she'd at least gotten on her good side today.

They'd just reached the dormitory building when Weiss gave her reply.

"I'm sorry. I don't think I'm free for lunch any day."

Blake's hopefulness was shot down yet again.

"Oh. Okay..."

"But, if you don't mind," Weiss continued. "I didn't manage to get the notes from Tuesday's gardening class since I was absent. Perhaps I could get them from you next week before class, if it's not too much trouble? That would help me tremendously."

Blake's mood lifted up again right away.

"Sure! Of course! I-I mean, it's the least I can do." It was just like Weiss to be more concerned about missing notes rather than relaxing and getting lunch. Blake should've known better. "I'll get to class early on Tuesday so you can get the notes."

"Excellent. Thank you."

Together, they made their way into the building. Weiss instructed her on where to go, and Blake gladly led Weiss to her room, trying to remember where it was in relation to her own.

At long last, they arrived at the door. Weiss took her bag back from Blake, thanked her for carrying it all this way, and then fished out her key. Blake took a step back and let Weiss stand on her own as she pushed open the door.

But before going inside, Weiss met her gaze one last time.

"Thank you again. I'm sorry about earlier."

"I'm sorry, too. I'll make it up to you. I promise."

Blake didn't use that word lightly, and it was the first time she'd said it this way as a human. But she knew she could keep her word for this.

Weiss was quiet, her eyes lingering on Blake's for a second before she dipped her head.

"Well then, good night."

"Good night."

Weiss didn't know it, but she had said that phrase to her a million times before. But until now, Blake had never been able to say it _back_ in a way that Weiss would understand.

With that, Weiss limped into her room and closed the door behind herself. Blake remained on the other side of that door for a few minutes, replaying the day's events in her mind.

 _I did it. I found her. I spoke with her. And I even made sure I'll speak to her again next week._

Of course, that meant she would have to wait another four days, which would push her over the two-week, halfway line.

But Blake felt that if she'd gotten this far with Weiss in only a day, then she could earn her trust and get her to recognize her before the month was up.

She finally turned and began heading back to her own room, her mind still buzzing.

 _I just need her to trust me. She's never trusted anyone else as much as she trusted me. I just have to make her understand who I am and how I got here._

She arrived at her door, fished out her own key, and pushed inside to collapse onto her bed.

 _I can do this. No matter what it takes, I'll prove to her that she can trust me. This will work. It has to._

* * *

 **A/N: Considering she's only been human for a few weeks, Blake's no too shabby at communication skills. Most of the time. Let's see if she can keep it up.**

 **If you like my work, you can support me on P-a-t-r-e-o-n as Kiria Alice!**

 **Please review!**


	9. One Wrong Move

**Blake is on the right track! Will she be able to stay there? She doesn't have much time left...**

 **If you like my work, you can support me on P-a-t-r-e-o-n a Kiria Alice!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.**

* * *

Chapter 9. One Wrong Move

Blake was incredulous all that afternoon, evening, and night.

She couldn't stop thinking about the time she'd spent together with Weiss, even despite the harrowing nature of some of it.

 _But she's all right now, and that's all that matters_.

As she lie on her bed that evening, she didn't even require the faint glow of lamplight to see in the darkness. Her vision cut through the shadows to make out the calendar on the back of her door, checking it over to see how many days she had left.

After she saw Weiss again on Tuesday to share notes with her, she would only have ten.

 _Ten is enough. I can do this._

Blake knew better than anyone how defensive Weiss was, and she didn't do it on purpose or for petty reasons. The only reason Weiss behaved so standoffish and self-sufficiently was because she didn't want other people thinking she _needed_ any help, or anyone to confide in. She didn't want to appear weak or needy.

But most of all, she didn't want to open up and allow someone to get close to her, only to end up with them betraying and hurting her.

So long as Blake was cautious about what she did and said, she was confident she could get on Weiss' good side, even to the point where she'd be able to reveal her true identity and explain everything to her.

She had already made plans in her mind about how the following week would go.

On Monday, now that she knew Weiss had classes before Blake in the same rooms, Blake would make sure to arrive to them early so she might catch a glimpse of Weiss leaving. If she did, Blake would be sure to try and make eye contact, smile, and possibly even greet her and ask about her ankle.

On Tuesday, she planned to share her notes with Weiss, and presently thanked the fact that she'd actually jotted things down on the first day of class. By that point, she planned to ask Weiss out to lunch again for Wednesday, where she would chat with her and demonstrate to Weiss that she could be trusted.

From there, on Thursday, they would have their gardening class together again, and perhaps talk a little. At the end of class that afternoon, Blake planned to ask to meet with Weiss again that upcoming weekend.

And on whichever day Weiss deemed to be most convenient for her, Blake planned to finally reveal the truth to her.

She had thought this through for a while and decided it was the best way to do things, given her time limit. She didn't want to rush things and more or less force herself on Weiss, but Blake believed it would all be worth it in the end.

 _Then I can keep my form_ and _my promise. I can be with her for the rest of my life._

She fell asleep that night believing as much.

* * *

The next few days seemed to drag by, making Blake aware of every wasted second as it left her behind.

She just kept reminding herself that she would get to see Weiss again soon.

By the time Monday morning rolled around, Blake jumped out of bed at 8, when Weiss' first class was already starting. She dressed herself, ate, freshened up, grabbed her things, and dashed out the door and out of the building, bound for Weiss' classroom.

She got there half an hour before Weiss' class was to be dismissed, so Blake loitered out in the hallway for a while. At one point, she even went so far as to lean up against the closed door, shut her eyes, and perk up her cat ears to see if she could hear Weiss' voice at all.

But if Weiss was in there, she didn't participate from what Blake could discern.

She realized a second too late when the class had been dismissed, and ended up getting hit with the door as the first people pushed it open.

Blake scurried back a few paces and ran a hand through her hair, trying to make herself look somewhat presentable. People filed out of the room for a moment, though none of them were who she sought.

 _Did she not come to class today? Was her ankle still bothering her? It's my fault..._

Shoulders slouched, she limped toward the door.

But upon peering inside, Blake almost gasped out loud when she spotted Weiss there, hovering over her desk, neatly putting away her notebook and other looseleaf papers.

 _Of course. She's usually the first one out of the room, but not unless everything in her bag is completely organized._

Weiss picked her bag up and started for the door. But she paused and her eyes went wide the second she saw who was standing there.

Blake's heart thumped as their eyes locked, and she quickly scrambled to find her voice.

"G-Good morning! How... um... How is your ankle?"

Weiss said nothing at first. She kept her eyes trained on Blake's and slowly made her way forward, pausing when there was only a few feet of distance between them. Blake observed the way she stood and how she seemed to favor one foot over the other in terms of distributing her weight.

"It's better than it was," Weiss replied, almost suspiciously. "And good morning."

Blake felt the overwhelming urge to smile, but she tried not to, fearing it would rub Weiss the wrong way.

But the feeling it gave Blake when Weiss greeted her reminded her of her days as a cat, when the girl had quite literally rubbed her the _right_ way, a pleasant and content feeling...

"Excuse me?" Weiss huffed. "I've got to get to my next class."

"Huh? Oh!" Blake realized she was blocking the doorway and quickly stepped aside. "I'm sorry! Um..." She dropped her books down onto the nearest desk and then grabbed the door instead to hold it open. "Please. It's the least I can do after what happened."

Weiss looked very much like she wanted to snap a refusal. Something like, "I have a sore ankle. I'm not an _invalid!_ " or "I don't _need_ your help!"

But since Blake had made it sound like a way for herself to repent, and not a way to show Weiss pity, the white-haired girl seemed to sigh and accept the act of kindness.

Weiss regarded her cautiously, but she didn't have time to argue, as her next class was beginning soon. She passed Blake and then slipped out the door, a faint limp in her gait.

Blake made sure she was safely past before she began to close the door. But she froze when she heard Weiss' voice one more time.

"Thank you. I'll see you tomorrow."

Blake's heart whirled in excitement.

"Right! See you then!"

With that, Weiss took her leave.

Blake felt like jumping up and down and squealing, or running out of the classroom to lap the campus.

Not only had Weiss remembered their plans for Tuesday, but she'd been comfortable enough to verbally acknowledge them.

Blake didn't want to be smug about it, but she thought she was probably one of the first people to ever accomplish a feat like this.

She couldn't sit still during class, to the point where the professor asked her if she needed to excuse herself, an offer which Blake eagerly accepted. She rushed to the bathroom to splash cold water onto her face, having grown to like the stuff now that she no longer had fur. When she'd worked off a bit of her excitement, she returned to her room for the end of class.

As soon as they'd been dismissed, she hurried to her next room, once again eager to see if she could catch Weiss on her way out.

 _But then again, I've already done that once today. Maybe twice might be a little too strange..._

So she slowed her pace and tried to contain her enthusiasm. By the time she arrived at her next classroom, it was already empty.

She mulled through that hour and a half, then proceeded to the cafe for a bit of lunch.

Then it was a matter of toiling away the afternoon again. She went to bed early to help time pass more quickly, and set her alarm for late the next day.

Another several hours of waiting, waiting, waiting...

And then she was on her way to her gardening class in the cool afternoon air, hurrying as quickly as her youthful human legs could carry her. She made it to her building, and then the staircase that would take her to the second floor. Her boots were all too ready to propel her up the steps in a matter of seconds.

But Blake came to a sudden halt when she was presented with yet another bit of luck.

Weiss was making her way up the stairs ahead of her, taking her time so as not to aggravate her healing ankle.

Blake longed to rush up and help her, but didn't want to intrude on Weiss' boundaries any more than she already had.

But still, she wanted to do _something_.

So she hopped up the steps until she was right beside Weiss.

"Hi! Do you want me to hold your books?"

Weiss nearly jumped out of her skin.

"Goodness!" she cried, gripping the rail even harder. She swayed an inch or so, and Blake reacted quickly, reaching out to steady her back. Weiss narrowed her eyes, but couldn't afford to shake her off. But as the surprise died away, so did the initial traces of hostility. "You again?" she sighed.

"Yeah. I was just on my way to class. And I'm sorry... about always startling you, and then always asking you if I can help. I know you're perfectly capable of taking care of yourself. I just... I feel responsible for what happened..." Trailing off, Blake looked away and let her hand fall from Weiss' back.

Weiss looked her over, and Blake stayed still as she did so. She hoped Weiss didn't see her as a threat or take her words as insults somehow.

A moment passed before Weiss cast her gaze ahead and continued on her way.

"You don't need to feel responsible," she grunted. "Hear it from me right now: you're absolved of what happened last week. You don't need to feel obligated to help me anymore."

Shocked, Blake flicked her gaze up after the girl. Again, she didn't think before speaking.

"But-! But even if I don't feel obligated anymore, can I still help you if you need it?"

Weiss came to a stop three steps above her and was still. Blake stared nervously up at the image of her unmoving form. Her small back had so much weight carried on it, but she never let it show.

And suddenly, Blake understood what had just happened.

Weiss had made a point to inform Blake that she didn't _need_ to help her or be around her anymore, that there was no need for her to feel such things were _necessary_ or _required_ as penance for Weiss' accident.

But she had also offered Blake something else; the option to _want_ to help her, should Weiss ever need it.

She wanted Blake to know that she was no longer _obligated_ to help her, but also wanted to see if she would offer assistance not because she felt she needed to, but just because she _wanted_ to.

In other words, how a friend would behave.

Blake's throat felt tight as she waited for Weiss to react or reply somehow. She didn't dare move an inch or speak a word until Weiss had done so first.

Her response took a moment, during which Blake feared the whimpers in her stomach might escape her throat.

But her bow wiggled as her ears picked up on Weiss' voice once again.

"Do you have the notes?"

Blake tried to rake her brain for an answer, only to realize Weiss was only asking for one word.

"Yes."

"...Then let's get to class."

With that, she continued up the stairs.

Blake stood there, unmoving as she watched the flow of the girl's white hair and dress move away.

She wasn't sure how to feel.

That... hadn't exactly felt like an acceptance of her friendship.

 _But... it didn't exactly feel like a rejection either..._

If Blake had to choose between whether that had been a positive reaction from Weiss or a negative one, she would have to decide on the former.

Blake raced up the steps after her, two at a time to catch up. She walked beside Weiss down the hallway now, and casually began discussing the previous class' lecture.

Blake was thrilled when Weiss actually offered a few comments here and there and added to the conversation.

They made it to their room several minutes early. Blake put her things down at her seat near the door, but felt her heart sink as Weiss moved a few aisles away.

 _Oh, right. We all sort of sit in the same seats each time..._

But just as she was preparing to slump down into her chair, Weiss made a comment.

"This chair never _did_ get occupied," she said, motioning to a desk only one row shy of her own. Blake took the hint and jumped up immediately, gathered her things, and hurried over.

Once they'd settled themselves in, Blake opened her notebook to the first day's worth of notes.

"Sorry. My handwriting is kind of sloppy." _But not bad for someone who only just learned how to write a few weeks ago_.

"Nonsense. It's fine," Weiss assured her. "Now, can you please explain what he meant when he was discussing this part?"

"Sure..."

As Weiss began copying the notes, Blake recounted everything that she could from the lecture that day in order to help Weiss comprehend everything. She desperately raked her brain even for the tiniest details to recall, and relayed everything to Weiss.

Their other classmates soon began filing in, and just as Weiss was finishing up, the professor entered. Weiss opened her notebook to a fresh page to begin taking down today's notes, then handed Blake's back to her.

"Thank you. That was a big help to me."

Blake nodded, smiling shyly. When she reached out to accept her notebook, her fingers brushed Weiss' for a brief second.

They sat through class together, but while Weiss was clearly focused on the lesson being taught, Blake could only focus on the girl beside her and one row up.

The last time she'd been in this classroom a week earlier, Blake had been sitting almost on the other side of the room in comparison to Weiss' seat, and she had hardly spoken two words to her.

And now, just four days later, she was this much closer to her, both physically and perhaps even emotionally.

She might've gotten Weiss injured a bit, but Blake liked to believe she had redeemed herself for that. She'd even gone so far as to establish herself as someone who would stay by Weiss' side just because she wanted to, not because she had to.

 _I can't believe my plan is really working. After class today, I'll ask her to come to lunch with me tomorrow. Then it'll just be a few more days..._

She was getting jittery just thinking about what might happen when she confessed the truth to Weiss. It was exciting, nerve-wracking, and even a bit frightening all at the same time.

There was so much that could go wrong...

But there was also so much that could go _right_.

Blake had been thinking over the things she wanted to say when the time came. She'd mentally planned a basic outline, and depending on how Weiss behaved around her now, she was continuously adding things, taking things out, and arranging them in the best possible order.

 _I can do this. Just a few more days..._

The final minutes of class came and went. Weiss was packing up her things right away, eager to leave. Blake tried to match her pace so she might walk out with her. She decided to speak up in order to keep Weiss there a moment longer.

"Did you get all of the notes today?" Blake instantly regretted her choice of questioning.

 _Of course she did! She never stopped writing!_

"Did _you?_ " Weiss flashed back at her. "I don't think I saw your hand move once today. It's a good thing I got the notes from you before you turned into a slacker."

Anyone else might've taken offense to those words. But as Blake looked Weiss over now, she could detect a very faint smile on her lips.

Weiss wasn't trying to be mean. This was her way of trying to make friendly banter through sarcastic comments.

Blake smiled in return.

"Yeah, you're right. I just spaced out today. I think I'm just hungry."

"Best to get something to eat, then."

Blake successfully managed to have Weiss linger long enough so that they could leave together now. As they exited the room, Blake tried to stay on the topic of food.

"Would you like to come get something with me?"

"I can't right now," Weiss informed her. "I've got a bit of work I'd like to finish."

"Of course. Then... how about tomorrow? Maybe lunch?"

Weiss pondered for a moment, and Blake chewed on the inside of her lip. She felt her cat ears flick nervously, and had to reach up to make it look as though she'd been adjusting her bow.

She'd only just gotten onto reasonably good terms with Weiss not too long ago. Blake feared she was overstepping by asking her to join her for lunch so soon. With every second of Weiss' silence, Blake was beginning to doubt herself more and more, to the point where she needed to speak up again.

"It's fine if you can't. I was just-"

"Lunch hour, I'll be busy," the other girl said loudly. "But I'm free at one."

Blake nearly tripped over her own two feet as Weiss flashed her a shy glance. Blake knew what that meant.

Weiss was always aloof and even hostile to people at first, which tended to chase most of them away.

But for her to reveal her shyer, less confident side was an indication that she was becoming more comfortable around a person.

This was Weiss' true self, beneath the layers and layers of cold, hard ice she'd built up in order to protect herself.

Blake was so astonished, so dumbfounded, so incredibly joyful and distracted that she walked right into a garbage can. Only a yelp and a quick set of reflexes spared her from spilling it all over the floor and herself.

"Sorry!" she gasped. "I-I didn't get anything on you, did I?"

Weiss had taken a step back to avoid such a thing, so she shook her head.

"Fortunately not."

"Thank goodness..." Blake smoothed out her clothes and hair a bit, making sure her bow was properly in place as she tried to get her bearings. "Th-Then yeah! One o'clock tomorrow is perfect for me! Is the um... is the cafe all right? I don't really know any other food places on campus..."

Weiss tilted her head a little, then directed her gaze ahead.

"Then perhaps I'll have to show you some. But yes, the cafe is fine."

Blake could hardly contain her excitement now as they walked back to the dorms. It was all she could do to keep herself from jumping and squealing. She did her best to remain calm and composed as she walked with Weiss all the way back.

Weiss' room was a floor beneath her own, so Blake naturally led her to her door to drop her off. Weiss turned to her as she fished out her key.

"Thank you again for the notes," she said simply.

"You're welcome. It was no trouble at all. I-If you ever need anything else, I-" Blake snapped her lips shut again, remembering they'd only been on particularly good terms for a day, as far as Weiss knew. "I mean I... I'll see you tomorrow at one then?"

Weiss unlocked her door and stepped inside.

"Don't be late."

And with that, the door closed and concealed her.

Blake then took the opportunity to run off her excitement. She raced through the hallways and up the stairs before skidding to a stop outside her own door. She couldn't even unzip her bag right away because her hands were shaking so much, and it was even more of a process to get the key into the lock. But once she had, Blake shot into the room, jumped onto her bed, buried her face into her pillow, and squealed.

"Tomorrow! Tomorrow at one!"

She didn't know if Penny and the others were here right now, but she thanked them all a million times.

"I can do this!" she declared, sitting up straight. "Just a few more days and then I can tell her everything. I can _do_ this!"

She hurried to her calendar and crossed today off, leaving nine more before her time as a human came to an end.

She was already thinking about what it would be like, to spend the rest of her life as a human being, to be able to see spring not just three more times, but _eighty_ more times.

And to see it with herself sitting _beside_ Weiss instead of on her lap.

To be able to hold her and be held by her in ways that had been impossible before.

To be able to talk to her and tell her all the things Blake had never been able to say before in a way that Weiss could understand.

She wondered what things Weiss would say to her in return.

Blake fantasized about it all that evening, playing through her dream that would soon become reality, until it took her into the realm of sleep.

The only difference between the dream she saw there and the one she kept thinking about was that her dream could actually come true.

* * *

Blake's Wednesday classes couldn't pass by quickly enough.

She ended up seeing Weiss as she was leaving her second class and Blake was going in. Blake had flashed her a smile and almost gotten one in return, but Weiss had looked away before she could be certain.

"I'll see you at one," she'd murmured and hurried off.

Blake had watched her go, her stomach already bubbling with excitement she could hardly contain. Somehow, she'd managed to control herself for the next hour and a half through class, until she was released.

Blake rushed out the door and headed to the cafe as quickly as she could without running, not wanting to risk working up a sweat and smelling bad.

Even though Weiss was the one who had gotten out of class earlier, Blake was still the first to arrive at the cafe. She claimed the first open table she spotted by putting her bag on it, then took a moment to smooth out her hair and clothes.

 _I can't believe it. It's really happening. I'm so close now!_

Once she felt her appearance was as good as it was going to get, she took her seat and waited, albeit a little anxiously.

She had a basic idea of the things she wanted to say to Weiss today, but she knew she might have to be flexible and follow the path of the conversation accordingly.

She waited there for several minutes, shuffling her feet and twiddling her fingers in her lap, her eyes trained on the glass doors.

At last, she spotted the girl she'd been waiting for.

Weiss was still limping very slightly as she pushed through the doors. She glanced around, but found Blake's gaze almost instantly and started making her way over.

Blake straightened up, her bow standing tall thanks to the perked ears beneath it, and she needed to swallow down another tickling purr.

Weiss reached the table and slung the strap of her own bag over the opposite chair before having a seat.

"I was the one who told you not to make me wait, and here I am showing up late."

"It's fine! I don't mind at all!" Blake insisted. "I'll go order us some food. What would you like? I can pick it up for you." She couldn't help but flash another glance down to Weiss' ankle again. The girl huffed.

"I'm not an invalid, you know."

"I-I know! I'm sorry, I-"

"Calm down. It was a joke."

"Oh..." Blake felt the knot in her stomach unwind as quickly as it had come. "Sorry."

"It's fine. I guess I'm not all that good at telling jokes. But I'll have a salad, if you could." She dug into her handbag and pulled out a few bills, then handed them to Blake. As she accepted the cash, Blake felt the tingle as their skin brushed once again.

"Salad. Got it."

Of course, she'd already known Weiss' food preference without even having to inquire.

Blake grabbed some of her own money, then hurried to get on line, not wanting to leave Weiss for any longer than she had to. She ordered a salad for Weiss and a tuna sandwich for herself, along with two bottles of water, and brought it all back to the table with some napkins in a matter of minutes.

"Thank you." Weiss dipped her head and accepted the small bowl of greens.

From there, Blake sat down again and took a bite of her sandwich so she could chew on something other than her lip.

She'd seen Weiss eat a million times before, but never from this perspective. It had always been from her position on the floor, looking up at Weiss. This was the first time she'd ever sat across from her, at eye-level. Blake couldn't help but stare, musing to herself.

 _I swear she looks even prettier than I remember_.

But as soon as she thought as much, Weiss looked up and caught her staring, causing Blake to choke a bit on her food. She slapped a napkin to her mouth and cleared her throat a few times in an effort to compose herself.

Weiss eyed her strangely, daintily cleaned her own lips off, and took a sip of water.

"So," she began, a little awkwardly. "What is your major? It seems we're taking a lot of the same classes."

"Huh? Oh, um..." Blake took a drink for herself as an excuse to think for a moment longer. "Um, I'm undecided for now. Those classes were the only ones that were open at the time I registered."

"I see..." Weiss seemed a little dejected by her answer, having thought she'd found someone with similar interests. Blake quickly tried to save herself.

"B-But I really like those classes so far! Everything is so interesting!" she lied.

But she must've been good at it, because Weiss' mood seemed to lift again.

"They are rather challenging courses, aren't they? But the things you learn from them should prove to be very useful." She ate another forkful of salad. "Where are you from? Nearby?"

Again, Blake stuttered.

 _If I tell her I'm from the same town as her, she'll definitely think it's strange we've never met before._

"Um, it's pretty far away. You've probably never heard of it."

"Try me."

"Um, it's called... Pennyslyvania."

It was all she could do to come up with a fib based off the fairy's name. It must've sounded as foolish as she'd thought, because Weiss actually laughed.

"I beg your pardon?"

But Blake didn't say anything. She was too busy relishing the familiar sound of Weiss' laughter, brief as it was. She couldn't remember the last time she'd heard that lovely sound.

The two girls continued to chat very casually as they ate, keeping the topics light and as impersonal as possible.

Blake didn't ask Weiss things she knew she'd be uncomfortable talking about. Besides, Blake already knew most things about her life, after all.

There was only one thing she didn't know about, and she felt she might be able to ask about it now.

"So, um... Emerald had said that you'd been sick or something on the first day of classes. Do you feel better now?"

At her mentioning that incident, Weiss fell silent. Her fork paused halfway to her mouth before she put it back into the bowl, seeming to have lost her appetite. Weiss didn't look up at her, but her shoulders heaved in a sigh, her voice thin and sorrowful.

"I don't think I'll ever feel better about that..."

Gulping, Blake dared to press on.

"What happened? Y-You don't have to tell me about it, but... if you want to, I'll listen..."

The offer seemed to have been worded just right, because Weiss lifted her face. Her blue eyes appeared to be watery as they locked with Blake's, and it was all she could do not to let herself waver.

Blake couldn't believe it, but Weiss was really opening up to her now.

The white-haired girl folded her hands into her lap and told Blake what had happened that day.

"A few weeks ago... my father called me from home. He'd said that... that my cat had run away..."

She flinched, already seeming to be hurt by the horrible memories.

Blake flinched as well, the ears beneath her bow threatening to flatten.

"I'm... I'm so sorry..."

She knew it was her own fault for leaving, and that it had and _was_ _still_ causing Weiss so much pain.

But to Weiss, the apology sounded like words of condolences. She went on sadly.

"She was... my best friend. I got her when she was nine years old - the same age as me. I adopted her and tried to give her a good life. The day I took her home, I made a promise to her. I promised her that I... that I'd take good care of her..."

Tears were already making their way down her cheeks by now, and she hastily reached up to wipe them away.

"I tried... for _so_ many years, I tried to keep that promise... but now..."

The pain and grief in her eyes was heartbreaking, enough to bring water to Blake's eyes as well.

"Now... how can I keep that promise? H-How can I take good care of her when I'm here... and I don't even know where she is? I'd promised to... to take care of her all her life, but now..."

Her voice tapered off and dwindled into a series of choked sobs.

Blake wiped her napkin over her own eyes and sniffled. This was tearing her apart.

 _If only she knew... If only I could tell her right now..._

She wanted to hold Weiss. She wanted to hug her, for the first time in her life as a human. She wanted to comfort her and tell her everything was going to be all right. She wanted to make that promise to her, and prove it as well.

But as she was now, Blake knew she couldn't do those things. Not yet.

So for now, she could only sit there across from Weiss and watch her hide her face into her napkin, dabbing her eyes.

Blake didn't want her to feel pressured to speak anymore, so she took the liberty upon herself to say something instead.

"I had a friend, too," she murmured. "My best friend. I loved her so much. I still do. I... I lost her, but... but I'm going to keep trying to find her again."

Blake swallowed thickly around a lump in her throat, then went back to wiping her eyes. Weiss peeked up at her, sniffling softly.

"I hope you find her."

Blake sobbed, a whimper working its way out of her lips.

"Thank you..."

It took them a few more minutes, but they eventually calmed down, and the tears stopped. Weiss sighed as she folded up her dampened napkin and put it aside.

"I'm sorry for showing such an unbecoming side of myself."

"It's okay. You haven't cried in a long time."

"Excuse me?"

"I-I just mean... you seem like that kind of person. It must feel nice to let it out, right?"

Weiss regarded her a bit warily, and said nothing more on the matter.

"Well, it's getting a bit late. I'd like to get back to my room." She gathered her unfinished salad to put in the trash and slipped her handbag back over her shoulder.

Blake also put her trash aside and stood.

"Me, too. I'll walk back with you, if that's okay."

Weiss blinked, but her expression seemed to soften just a bit.

"Very well."

More content than ever, Blake gathered up all of the garbage and carried it to the trash to toss it, then made her way back to the table.

"You know Weiss, I-"

"Oh my goodness!" Weiss gasped. "I just realized that all this time, I've never even asked your name! How rude of me." She hadn't heard it from the professor or any of their classmates, nor had she asked for it directly.

Again, Blake could only give the only name she'd ever known.

She didn't even think twice about it.

"My name is Blake."

But her cheerful, exuberant smile didn't last longer than a second. Her eyes went wide in terror and her heart slammed to a halt.

Weiss fell dead silent, her expression blank, unreadable.

She didn't move. She didn't even breathe.

Her eyes that had been softened now hardened tenfold, and the tears rushed back up to them. An outraged scowl came onto her face, and when she spoke, her voice was cold, low, and dripping with fury.

" _What?_ "

"W-Weiss, I can-"

"Don't say my name!" she snapped, slamming her hands on the table as she shot up from her seat. "What kind of a sick joke is this? Did someone tell you to say that name to me? Who was it? Who gave you that idea? Do you think this is _funny_ -"

"N-No, please, I-"

"Shut up!" Weiss shouted. The bitter, furious tears were spilling over once again. "How _dare_ you use that name on me. How dare you..."

Blake's heart was breaking with each passing second, fear and dread welling up inside her to overflow as her own tears.

"Weiss, please-"

"I told you not to say my name!" she shouted. "What kind of a horrible person are you? That you'd act so kindly to me, only to use _that_ name..." She took a swaying step back, still glowering at Blake, shaking her head numbly. "I don't know... where or who you got that name from... but whatever prank this was, I hope you're _happy_ with it. Don't... don't speak to me again."

With that final, stricken whimper of a request, Weiss turned away and ran out of the cafe.

"W-Wait-!"

Blake made a move to go after her, then stopped. Her legs were shaking too much, and her vision was too blurred by tears for her to see properly anymore. Everyone in the cafe was staring at her, mumbling and wondering what was going on.

Blake paid them no heed. She only stared out after the girl she loved so dearly, until she had vanished out of sight.

 _No, no, no... I was... I was so close... How could this have happened? How could I have been so thoughtless?_

"W-Weiss..." Blake croaked her name and stumbled to the doors, pushing her way out. She only managed a few steps before she fell to her knees on the cobblestone path, coughing up sobs from the pit of her stomach.

 _What... What have I done...? I've lost her..._

Even the fairies couldn't help Blake now, and she knew it.

 _It's all my fault... I'll lose Weiss forever..._

Blake didn't know what else she could do.

She could only curl in on herself, drowning out her hopeless wails of agony from losing the one thing she'd been searching so diligently for, and the only thing she'd ever truly wanted.

* * *

 **A/N: . . .**

 **If you like my work, you can support me on P-a-t-r-e-o-n a Kiria Alice!**

 **Please review!**


	10. Having Faith

**All the time and effort that has gone into rebuilding this delicate, decade-long relationship has now caused it to shatter to pieces. Can it be repaired?**

 **If you like my work, you can support me on P-a-t-r-e-o-n as Kiria Alice!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.**

* * *

Chapter 10. Having Faith

Weiss ran.

Not once did she pause to apologize to the people she bumped into, nor to look back over her shoulder as she raced towards the dormitory.

She couldn't believe this.

She didn't know who that girl was, but she was through with her.

 _I thought she was actually trying to be nice to me... I thought she really wanted to be my friend..._

She slammed her palms against the doors and pushed through, then dashed down the hallway.

By the time she reached her door, she could barely stand due to the pain in her ankle. She pressed herself heavily against the door frame, swallowing whimpers and wiping her arm over her face repeatedly as she attempted to find her key. When she did, she could hardly fit it and turn the knob due to how badly her hands were shaking.

But eventually, she managed to get in, where she fell to her knees and curled up on the floor.

 _I should have known better. I should've_ known _better than to have believed someone was actually trying to be nice to me. Father thinks this is a good opportunity for me, a good way to start over._

 _But I know how it is. I've_ always _known. People don't want to be your friend. They just want to use you and then throw you away. They just want to make horrible comments and jokes. They just want to feel better about themselves by hurting you..._

Ever since that girl had said her precious cat's name, Weiss' mind had flooded with memories of Blake.

How she'd loyally wait for Weiss to come home every day so they could play together.

How she'd always be there to listen to Weiss' problems.

How she'd always curl up beside her and bring her incomparable comfort.

All of them were good memories.

Except for the final one - losing her.

Weiss imagined Blake slipping out the mansion doors at night, running off into the deadly, busy street, or into the dark woods only to encounter some vicious wild creature or cruel human like her previous owner.

She imagined her beloved old cat bleeding, wailing, dying...

Without Weiss.

She'd promised that she would always take care of Blake.

And she had, for nearly ten full years of her life.

But what good was that promise if Weiss couldn't even see it through until the very end?

She'd done a lot of crying in her lifetime, but for most of it, Blake had been there beside her, to ultimately make her feel better.

But she wasn't here anymore.

At the very least, here in her room, Weiss could cry as much as she wanted to, as loudly as she wanted to, and for as long as she wanted to.

Her heart was consumed by grief, anguish, and a sense of betrayal from losing the one friendship she'd been starting to put faith into.

She just cried. Hard, forceful, painful sobs that hitched her breath and choked her.

Not even Penny, who had flitted off after her and hovered invisibly beside her now, could do anything to help her.

"Weiss... Oh, what have we done? This is all my fault... I should never have offered my spell to Blake... I'm so sorry..."

Guilt swept over her so strongly that her wings ceased to function, and she fluttered to the floor beside her favorite human.

"If only you could see me again," she whispered. "Like you did when you were younger. Then you'd know I was here... that I'm you're friend, and that you're never alone..."

But the sight of Weiss so distraught, and the sounds of her strained caterwauls, were more than enough to have the little fairy weeping as well. She knew there was only one thing that could fix this, and it wasn't any magic she could cast. All she could do was offer one last plea to the girl who couldn't even hear it.

"Please, Weiss... Just have faith. Don't give up..."

But Weiss couldn't hear the request or see the one who had made it.

She could only bury her face into her dress and let the tears consume her.

* * *

Blake was drawing a crowd.

People were asking her what was the matter and whether or not she was all right.

But she didn't listen to any of them. Her sobs drowned them out, anyway.

 _I did this... I let this happen... I should just go... I should disappear from her life... She'll just believe I'm dead. She'll be sad for a while, but she'll get over it. She'll find another cat. Another friend... Someone better than me..._

She was no longer aware of Ruby and Yang fluttering frantically at her side, begging her not to give up.

But Blake couldn't see any reason to keep going. She'd already come this far, gotten this close to Weiss again, and then ruined her only chance. There was no way Weiss was ever going to want to see her again. Blake was better off leaving this campus until her final days of being human were up.

 _Then I'll turn back into a cat and live out the rest of my short life... without her. And it'll be my own fault. If I'd just-! If I'd just stayed as I was and waited for her, she would've come back home! It might not have been every single day, but she would have come back eventually!_

 _Wouldn't it have been better to have stayed that way? To have died as her favorite old friend? Now instead, she thinks that friend has run away and died a horrible death without her knowledge. That's how she'll always remember the Blake she loves meeting her end._

 _But_ I'll _always know the truth._ I'll _always know what I've done to her; come to her in this form, gotten close enough to earn her friendship, only to hurt her so badly. I don't deserve to see her again..._

As she continued to weep amongst the crowd of concerned spectators, Blake just couldn't help but imagine what _could_ have been.

Weiss could have recognized her.

Blake could have helped her understand how it had all happened. She could have proven to Weiss who she was.

And they could have lived together happily from then on.

Side by side.

As humans, and the best of friends.

 _That could've been our life together... If I'd done this right. If I hadn't given up..._

But she'd given up.

There was no point anymore.

There was no point...

But...

But there _was_ still a point.

Wasn't there?

The whole point of this endeavor was to make Weiss see who she was, to make her understand.

And even though Blake had hurt her, she still had a chance.

 _I... I can't just give up now. Not when I've... when I've come so far... Not when I've gotten so close to telling her the truth. She deserves to know. Even if she doesn't_ believe _the truth, she at least deserves to_ know _it._

Furiously, Blake rubbed her sleeve over her burning eyes and pushed herself to her feet.

 _I've got to do this._ _Even if it only makes her hate me more. She'll only hate the girl who took her cat's name. But she'll never hate Blake. No matter what happens,_ that _will never change._

One more time. She was going to see Weiss just one more time.

So she took advantage of this body that she would only have for a short while longer.

The trembling in her legs was replaced by a fueling sense of adrenaline, and a desire to see the person she loved the most, just one more time.

 _I have to tell her. I have to, I have to-_

She pelted through the oncoming people and tore across the campus, bound for the building she knew Weiss to have taken refuge in.

 _I've got to see her..._

She rushed through the doors-

 _I've got to tell her..._

 _-_ and down the hallways-

 _I've got to..._

The door she sought was before her now, slightly ajar; the last person who'd used it had clearly been too upset to close it.

She all but stumbled into it, causing a noise that startled the girl inside. Blake gripped the doorframe and leaned against it heavily, panting, crying.

" _Weiss_..."

Blake looked in on her, hunched over in the darkness, small, scared, and in pain.

Blake didn't budge another step. She just stared at her, waiting.

Until the blue eyes she'd come to know and love finally glanced up at her. They were now full of distress and disgust.

Weiss deliberately glared daggers at the dark-haired girl who had appeared at her doorway now. It was clear that she'd ran all the way here, and that she'd been crying, too.

 _For what reason?_ Weiss wondered bitterly. _Why should_ she _be crying...?_

Weiss straightened herself up. Despite her posture and position radiating a sense of vulnerability and anything but confidence, her voice was cold and offered no room for argument.

"Get out."

Blake flinched and took a step back.

But she wasn't going to leave. Not until she'd done what she'd come all the way here to do.

So she advanced the step she'd just taken back and shook her head.

"Weiss... p-please... I need to-"

"You need to _leave!_ " she barked. "I told you I've had enough of your jokes! I never want to see you again!"

"Weiss, please!" Blake was all but screaming now in her desperation. "You don't have to believe me but _please_... just listen... please..."

Weiss' stomach flipped over. She felt as though she were going to be sick.

She hated this. She hated having someone she didn't even know seeing her cry and break down. She just wanted to be alone...

But something inside of her relented, and it happened as soon as her eyes met with that striking golden gaze once again.

The girl was still crying, shaking as badly as Weiss herself was, equally as upset and desperate - that much was clear.

Weiss couldn't describe it, but there was something inside her that almost... _wished_ she would stay.

After eighteen years of doing everything within her power to push people away, why was it that now she wanted some total stranger not to?

She couldn't understand it. All she could do was cough up another sob and hold her gaze.

"Fine..." Voice thin and cracked, Weiss consented. "Then tell me. Tell me whatever it is you must. Tell me before I change my mind..."

She didn't move, didn't even let another tear fall just yet.

Blake inhaled a few unsteady breaths, having calmed down just a little now that she'd stopped running, though her heart never stopped racing.

Weiss was going to hear her out. She could tell her-

But suddenly, Blake didn't know what she wanted to say. She couldn't think of how to do it, where to start.

Blankly, she shook her head, her mouth hanging open in shock. She couldn't pull her gaze away from Weiss'. It was almost as though looking at her was causing Blake to forget.

"I-I..."

Blake took another step forward, her boot pressing softly onto the plush of the carpet.

Weiss didn't budge. It almost felt like Blake was being drawn in somehow.

She advanced another step, then another, until she was just a few feet away from Weiss.

At that point, Blake couldn't go any further, and she dropped to her knees, a fresh wave of tears rising up and spilling over.

"Weiss... I... I don't know..."

 _How to say it... Where to begin... How to tell you..._

She never managed to say the rest of her sentence, because her throat was closing up. She felt lightheaded, nauseous, almost like she was losing herself.

Weiss refused to show any more tears, any more weakness, in front of this girl. Sniffling, she cleared her throat and dragged her voice up from it.

"How... _did_ you know that name...?"

Her tone was different now. The angry, accusatory note had vanished from it. And it was less from fatigue, and more from a strange, unexplainable sense of calmness.

Now that she was thinking a little more clearly, she realized that no one outside of her family should have known her cat's name. Weiss didn't have any friends, after all...

She couldn't explain it, but her hostility towards this girl seemed to be gradually ebbing away. Again, she wiped her eyes as she waited for a response.

Blake struggled to give her one.

She didn't know how to do this. She feared everything she might do could end up hurting Weiss more than it already had. If the truth was going to hurt her more, wasn't she better off not knowing?

But... didn't she _deserve_ to know?

Weiss had handled plenty of hurtful things in her life, far more than her fair share. Blake just feared this one might be too great a burden for her.

 _But I've come this far... I have to... before it's too late..._

"Weiss... I... I'm..."

But she... she couldn't say it.

She just _couldn't_.

Was this some part of the fairies' spell? Was she only allowed to use her name once in front of Weiss, and she'd already done it?

Or was it simply the fear that the reaction she'd received from Weiss the last time Blake had said that name to her would be the same reaction this time?

Suddenly, Blake couldn't remember how to say her own name in the human language anymore. She couldn't think of the sounds to put together to form the correct word.

Panic flared up inside of her, thick, fearful shockwaves coursing through her veins as she fought to remember.

"I... I-I... I'm..."

" _Blake_..."

But the word didn't come from her own lips.

That name - the name that held an entire lifetime's worth of memories - had come from Weiss' mouth.

Blake's jaw hung slack, tears falling down her cheeks, some to drip off her chin and others to slip onto her lips. She stared, her eyes never once having left those pools of perfect blue.

Weiss was crying again. She wasn't afraid to anymore.

She didn't understand how, but she knew.

She just knew.

" _Blake_..."

Again, she said her name, and it was nothing short of a blessing.

Blake could barely breathe. She couldn't be sure whether or not this was really happening.

Was it just... a trick of her cat ears, which had been longing to hear that name from those lips for so long that they were just fooling her now? Was it just the fairies trying to make her feel better by telling her what she wanted to hear?

So many thoughts whirled through her mind in that moment. But ultimately, of all the deceit and doubt that could have been toying with her, one thing held true.

That voice.

Weiss didn't even bother to wipe her tears away anymore. Her heart was beating erratically, and she couldn't seem to get her vision cleared of the stinging warm blur that was constantly rising up.

She couldn't keep her gaze away from that beautiful golden color, the very same color that had drawn Weiss to her so many, many years ago, behind the bars of that shelter cage...

"Blake..." she whispered. "It's... it's _you_ , isn't it? It's... it's really you..."

Blake could do nothing more than nod, more droplets spilling down off her chin.

"Y...Yes..."

Weiss couldn't keep her eyes open. There were too many tears behind them, forcing her to close them. She gasped, pressing both hands to her mouth, wailing a thin, fractured cry into them.

"Blake... my Blake..."

The sound of her name coaxed Blake forward. She dragged herself a few inches closer to Weiss, coughing up a thick breath. With it, she expelled all of her doubts, all of her fears, leaving room for only hope.

"Weiss... Weiss, I-I- you know... w-who I-?"

Weiss fought to speak past the surges of sobs that were spilling out, her lips and voice trembling so severely, she could hardly make sense of what she was saying.

"O-Of c-course I... I know... who you are... now I know..." she croaked. Weiss lifted her face from her hands, and her eyes bore directly into gold once again, just like always. "Y-You're... you're Blake... you're _my_ Blake..."

And Blake could only cry harder, her high-pitched wail of a voice forming no coherent words as she cried. Just cried.

And Weiss smiled.

Despite how frequently her expression was made to contort and crumple due to her own sobbing, she managed to curl her lips up at the edges into an unmistakable smile. She'd almost forgotten what it had felt like.

Slowly, she lifted her shivering arms up, opening them invitingly.

"Come here..." she whispered. "Come here..."

Blake all but threw herself into those waiting arms, arms that had been so empty for so long. At long last, she finally fulfilled that ache, that desire to touch her as a human could. She clung to Weiss' back, her fingers all but spasming from how badly she was shaking, nails curling tightly into the fabrics of her dress.

She didn't want to let go. Not ever.

She couldn't even keep her eyes open anymore, and the only thing keeping her up at all was Weiss. Her shoulder supported Blake's chin, and her arms supported her back.

Blake hadn't been human for even a month, and yet she felt as though she was now crying for all the eighteen years when she couldn't, and then some.

It was more than she'd cried when she'd first been transformed.

It was more than she probably ever _could_ cry for every day for the rest of her life.

Her cries split the air, somehow heart-wrenching and heartwarming at the very same time.

She cried for the grief, the fear, the pain.

And for the relief, the disbelief, and the joy.

Her body shook and shuddered, battered by all of the emotions she'd never been able to express before. She pressed herself close to Weiss and just didn't let go.

And Weiss held her close, more tightly than she'd ever been able to before. The cat she'd once known and loved had been so much smaller than herself, her form more fragile by nature. Weiss had always been afraid to hug her too tightly, afraid she might've hurt her.

But now she could hold her, free of the burden of such fears. Weiss was more terrified that she'd almost hurt Blake in a much, much worse way.

Time meant nothing to them anymore. But it was a while before they'd both stopped crying enough to get control of their voices once more.

Blake was still quivering as she clung to Weiss with a desperation that spoke of every shred of love she harbored for her. That love was equaled only by the fear she felt at the thought of losing her.

She could feel Weiss shaking too, her breath coming in short, shallow little gasps. Weiss had always cried softly if she could help it, and the same held true for now. She didn't let her voice out too much. It only tumbled out in small whimpers as her chest jolted from the barrage of relentless hiccups.

Blake felt the puddle of warm tears seeping into her own shirt as Weiss' hands pressed their shape through her clothes and tattooed themselves onto her skin. Blake burrowed her face into the side of the girl's neck, struggling to compose herself after all of this.

She could feel Weiss' hands start to move, one pushing in gently at the center of her back, causing Blake's form to arch into Weiss'. Their chests pressed together, until she could feel the thick thrumming of their hearts overlapping.

Blake wailed again.

She never thought she'd get to feel this sensation again. The familiar, rhythmic beat of Weiss' heart.

Even though Blake didn't have the same form as she'd used to, her body still reacted as it always had. Whenever she felt Weiss' troubled heart racing like this, there was only one response she had.

A bumbling, sloppy, gravelly purr began to bubble in her chest. It crept its way up until it spread through her chest and throat, then transferred over to Weiss.

Weiss recognized that soothing little vibration instantly, that peculiar song that was music to her ears. As soon as she felt that, she let out a small laugh, threaded with tiny hiccups.

"It's you... it's _really_ you..."

There was no doubt in her mind anymore, nor in her heart.

Blake nodded, purring a little harder.

"Yes... it's _me_ , Weiss..."

She felt another strange sensation fill her body then. It wasn't from the crying, she could tell. It felt as though she were being pricked by tiny claws, but only at the top of her head.

Blake let out a sudden gasp, and her grip on the white-haired girl tightened. She all but crushed Weiss to her, fearful that she might lose her human form, that she might no longer be able to hold her like this.

Weiss felt the immediate change in Blake, and a beat of fear shocked her heart.

"B-Blake?" She, too, tightened her hold on her, defiantly. "What's wrong? What's happening?"

But Blake couldn't respond. The pain in her skull was too discombobulating for her to be able to speak. She squeezed her eyes shut and dug her nails into Weiss' back, clinging, begging.

 _No, no, please no-!_

But her form didn't shrink or revert back to that of a cat as she'd been fearing.

Instead, she felt the bow in her hair begin to wiggle. Then, the soft, furry ears beneath them vanished, dissipating into thin air, without Weiss ever having to see them.

Of course, if Blake had revealed those to her, it would have unmistakably proven who she truly was.

But Weiss had recognized her all on her own, without Blake having to say a word or do anything at all.

Blake let out a long, heavy sigh, and with it went the last of her pain. She went all but limp in Weiss' arms now, and she knew it was over.

But Weiss was still nervous. Blake could feel her breathing quickly, and there was distress in her voice now.

"Blake? B-Blake?"

"It's okay..." Blake rekindled her purr and passed it through her chest to Weiss'. "I'm sorry for scaring you... It's okay now..."

She waited for a long moment, sharing her purr as much as she could, until she could feel Weiss' panicked breathing begin to slow down. The pounding pulse of her heartbeat lessened into something much less painful, and her voice lost its note of terror.

"Oh... thank goodness..."

Blake made sure to remove her nails from Weiss' clothes now. Instead, she used her fingertips to rub gentle little circles over her shaking back.

In turn, Weiss was calmer now that Blake's pain had passed. She trailed her left hand up through the thick, messy black hair that was covering her back. She traced her fingers up along Blake's arm to her shoulder, then higher along the side of her neck.

Weiss paused at her ear, where she carefully moved the many strands of hair aside. When she looked there, she could see a small chink in the skin of her ear, a telltale scar that had remained.

"It's really you..." she murmured again. " _It's really you..._ "

Blake sighed into her shoulder, holding onto her with a firm gentleness, how one could only ever hold the most precious thing in the world to them.

"I found you... I'm so glad I found you again..."

She wanted to stay like this. She just wanted to relish this forever, for the rest of her new human lifespan.

But there were still many questions that needed answering, especially one in particular for Weiss.

"How...?" The white-haired girl pulled away at last, coaxing Blake back a little so she may see her eyes. "How... did this _happen?_ It... It isn't a dream, is it?"

Blake shook her head.

"It's... I don't really know how to explain it. I don't know if I _can_..." She paused, then glanced around the room briefly. She knew the fairies were there, and she wanted to see if they would give her some kind of sign. But Blake could discern nothing from them.

"I guess... the best way to put it is... having faith. Believing." She turned her golden eyes back to find blue. "Haven't you ever... believed in magic, Weiss?"

Blake's words were almost sobering to her somehow. Weiss sucked in a small breath, her eyes wide.

All her life, she'd been raised to believe only in logic and reason. There was no place for magic in her life – or so her father had made clear to her.

But now, a small smile once again found its way onto her lips.

"I... when I was younger, I swore that... that I could see fairies..."

With Weiss' confession, something seemed to change within the room.

Blake felt it as well as Weiss.

It was a strange shift, one they couldn't really explain. But it was made clear to them both that nothing more needed to be said on that matter. They both understood somehow.

Weiss wiped her eyes quickly, then returned one of her hands to Blake's hip, and the other to her chinked ear. Gingerly, Weiss massaged her there, just as she'd always done.

It elicited a harder, fuller purr from her. Blake discovered that her cat ears had been taken, but the purr remained.

Both she and Weiss were clearly glad for that little gift.

Weiss found she was longing for Blake's warmth again, so she pulled her back in to her chest, wrapping her in a soft embrace.

"I know you just told me to believe, but... I can't believe it..." Her lip started to tremble all over again, and her voice along with it. "And I... I was so horrible to you..."

Blake's purr rumbled to a stop, dismay quickly festering in her stomach.

"No! It's all right, Weiss. I know you didn't mean to."

"B-But, I-"

"Were only trying to protect yourself," Blake finished for her. "I know. You've always been that way. People always... they always end up hurting you. So you just don't give them the chance to anymore. You shut them out and keep your distance. You don't want to get hurt..."

Sniffling, Blake recounted the old memories playing through her mind. "Like all those birthday parties. Even though it was your birthday, no one ever wanted to play with you. They never gave you a chance. Just because you were such a good student and always focused on your work instead of making relationships with other people.

"So they never even _tried_ to understand you. They never _tried_ to get close to you. It's only natural you started shutting people out... In fact, I'm almost glad that you did. Because I didn't know what I would've done if anyone ever hurt you so badly..."

Weiss was crying again, the little sobs spilling past her lips and onto Blake's shoulder, getting lost in her hair. Blake pet her hands over Weiss' back, just as Weiss had done for her so many times. A slightly musing smile appeared on her lips.

"And... since you didn't bother with other people, that meant I got you all to myself. I know it's selfish of me, but... but you're all I ever wanted, Weiss. And you're all I always _will_ want. And need."

Weiss could only curl her fingers in tighter, ducking her face into Blake's collar.

"You... You noticed... all of that...? All those years..."

Blake dipped her head.

"I noticed a lot of things. Especially about you. But until now, I... I could never say anything in a way you'd understand..." Blake closed her eyes, and let the memories return again. "But you _did_ understand me a lot. Whenever I asked for tuna for dinner, you always knew, and you'd give it to me."

Weiss' sobs morphed into a small laugh.

"That's right..." she whispered. "You had this... distinctive meow that told me you wanted tuna for supper. I could always recognize it. And you always did like doing _that_."

"Doing what?" Blake purred.

" _That!_ " Weiss wiggled in her arms, making Blake realize that she'd started to knead her fingers ticklishly against the girl's back. She'd just been so happy that she'd started to do it subconsciously.

"Oh, right. That."

Weiss giggled past the little sniffles she was still dealing with.

"Hmm. I already know you still have _this_ sweet spot..." As she said as much, she began to massage Blake's chinked ear once again, causing her purr to increase in volume. "But I have to wonder if _this_ still works on you...?"

Weiss ran her free hand down Blake's spine, lightly pressing her nails in. As soon as she reached the small of Blake's back, the dark-haired girl mewed softly and arched her into her touch. Weiss laughed again.

"Works like a charm."

"Mm, you always treated me so well," Blake sighed. "You gave me my own room. You gave me so many toys and food and shelter. And you loved me so much... I know you did. Even when you didn't say it, you _showed_ it. And I understood. I always understood that you loved me."

"...You... You did? Oh..." Weiss hid her face once again, reenforcing the embrace. "Oh, I'm so... so relieved... I'm so glad you _knew_..."

"Of course I did. Why else do you think I slept beside you every night? And sat next to your chair at mealtimes? And waited for you at the door when you came home? I loved you too, Weiss. I still do. And I always will. I got to live a perfect life with you, Weiss. And I never got to thank you for that."

She wiped her eyes again, fighting to keep her voice steady. "S-So... th-thank you for... for giving me a second chance... f-for rescuing me, a-and for making me a p-part of your life... Thank you... for loving me... and for letting me remember how to love again..."

"Oh, Blake... my precious little Blake..."

The embrace grew ever tighter, and the tears seemed to be never-ending.

But it was so much better than all those times they'd cried alone. Neither minded crying if they could do it together.

Weiss tried as often as she could to look up into Blake's eyes. When she next did it, Blake leaned in to brush their noses together.

"There's _so_ much I want to tell you," she said. "Like how I've always loved your eyes. Ever since the first day you walked into the shelter. They're the color of the sky. The color of freedom."

Weiss nuzzled her cheek affectionately in return.

"It's funny you say that... or perhaps, it's fate. Because your eyes were what drew me to you, as well. I've never seen a color quite like them before. The rarest, most precious gold...

"Back when I first saw you in the classroom, I know I stared at you. I just... I couldn't stop looking at your eyes. I knew they were familiar. In my heart, I _knew_ it. But my mind couldn't accept it. There was just no way..." Once more, she fell forward into Blake's arms. "And yet... now... here you are..."

Blake pressed close to her again, affectionately brushing her cheek against Weiss'.

"Yeah. I'm here now... I'm here..."

More silence. More tears.

But there was still so much more to be said.

Weiss let whatever words she could form slip out.

"And it's... it's strange... how I didn't think to ask for your name for so long... But I think it's because... deep down... I already knew..."

Blake nodded vigorously.

"Yeah... Thank you, Weiss..."

Time continued to pass, signified only by the beating of their hearts.

All those nights apart had been cold and miserable. Only when they were together could there be meaning and warmth in every breath.

Blake found her purr once again and offered it to Weiss, sharing the feeling she couldn't put into words.

Eventually, she started to explain the things she felt she could explain.

She told Weiss how she'd gotten away from the mansion in hopes of finding her again.

She told her of how she'd gotten here, how she'd tried to choose classes Weiss would have selected, how she'd tried so hard to talk to her without putting her off.

She also told her about Pyrrha's helping her on her first night here, about how Blake had needed to learn how to drink from a water bottle instead of a bowl, and how she thought the tuna that humans ate on sandwiches tasted different from the tuna they put in cat food.

Weiss listened to the tale of her incredible journey, all of Blake's selfless acts as she'd desperately tried to find Weiss against all odds before her time was up.

And Weiss couldn't help but apologize, again and again, for how cruelly she'd treated her. She felt so wretched, horrified to think of what might've happened if she'd refused to give Blake a chance, failed to recognize who she was.

"I never... would have known..." she rasped. "I would've let you die alone..."

Blake pulled her close, having Weiss rest the majority of her weight against her.

"I know you never would have," she murmured. "You kept your promise to me, Weiss. You kept that promise a thousand times over. It was my turn to keep the one I'd made to you."

Weiss allowed the steady purr to ease her guilt away.

"You... You made a promise to me, too?" She straightened herself up and stared curiously into her eyes. "What was it?"

Blake shifted a little bit, wanting to sit back so she could look Weiss in the eyes properly as she recounted it.

"I'd promised... that I would stay by your side for the rest of my life... And when I was a cat... I knew I didn't have much more time left. I was happy with just living out the rest of my time at your side... But then..."

"But then my father sent me here."

"...Yeah... A-And I just... I knew I couldn't keep my promise a-anymore... I knew we'd be apart a-and I wouldn't be able to be with you. I c-couldn't help but wonder... if... I'd died when you were away... how sad you would be...

"B-But then I became human and I came all this way to find you, a-and you _still_ thought that I might've ran away and died, and it _still_ made you sad, a-and-"

"Blake... Blake... shhh..." Weiss hushed her, stroking her hands gently up and down her back. She was still getting used to being able to see Blake cry like this, but Weiss swore she would do everything within her power to help the hurt go away.

"It's all right now," she whispered. "We don't have to think about... what _could_ have happened, or what _almost_ happened. Because those things _didn't_ happen. Do you know what _did_ happen?"

Sobbing, Blake nodded.

"We... We found each other..."

"That's right," Weiss affirmed. "We did. We're together now." But a prickle of worry was gnawing at Weiss' chest. She recalled something Blake had mentioned before, and had to address it now.

"Blake... you said that... you only had a month to be this way... And it's already been three weeks... Then... if you're like this now... how long can you stay this way? Is it..."

A twisting feeling of dread and despair gripped at her heart. Weiss couldn't bear the thought of only having this for one more week. She couldn't bear the thought of having gotten Blake back by a miracle, only to lose her again.

But Blake's purr only grew heartier when she replied.

"I'm... the same age now as I was before. Eighteen years old. Just like you." Blake moved back again to meet her gaze. She smiled, and a fresh wave of tears began pouring down. "I... I can stay like this now, Weiss. I can stay with _you._ For the rest of my life..."

And with those words, Weiss' fears were dashed, as if by magic.

"So then... you mean...?"

"For the rest of my life," Blake said again.

Weiss threw her arms around her once again.

"You mean... for the rest of _our_ life. I'm never going to leave you again, Blake. That is my new promise to you."

Blake whimpered in agreement.

"Me, too. I promise I'm never going to leave you again, Weiss."

"I know you won't. We'll always be together from now on."

"Y-Yeah... Weiss... I-I love you so much..."

"I love you too, Blake... I love you so much..."

Night had fallen long ago, and only after they'd cried every last tear they could shed did they decide to stand. They helped one another, leaning on shoulders and holding onto wrists as they limped over to Weiss' bed. Weiss laid herself down onto her back, then coaxed Blake to join her.

"Just like old times," she said invitingly.

Blake knelt beside her, though she didn't lie down just yet. First, she reached out to brush her thumb over Weiss' cheeks, clearing away the last of her tears.

"Weiss?"

Even in the darkness, Blake could still see that brilliant blue of her eyes so clearly.

"Yes, Blake?"

"...Is it okay... for me to sleep like I used to? A-Am I too big now?" she fretted.

Weiss couldn't help but chuckle softly.

"Oh, Blake... you silly girl. Come here, come here." She looped her arms around Blake's shoulders and pulled her down.

Blake carefully laid herself over Weiss, feeling how her new body pressed against her. It was very different from how she'd used to lie on top of Weiss.

But Blake found that even in this form, they fit together perfectly.

She could feel Weiss' soft, warm skin radiating all over her own body, and the same pair of familiar arms draped on top of her back.

Gently, Blake rested her head sideways onto Weiss' chest. Immediately, she could hear the sound of her heartbeat. It was the same, beautiful rhythm she remembered, only now it was fuller, more complete.

Blake got lost in the sound of it, closing her eyes to commit it to memory with her new pair of ears.

Weiss was also getting used to Blake's weight on top of her. It didn't hurt, though. Rather, it was a comfortable kind of pressure, one that made her feel safe, protected, loved.

And it was so warm. She'd never felt this warm before...

It wasn't long before she felt the rumble of a familiar purr, spreading on top of her stomach up to her chest, causing her to giggle softly at the ticklish sensation. Weiss began moving her hands up and down Blake's back, threading through her long, soft hair, which had almost the same texture as her fur had used to have.

She rubbed her back, lightly pressing her nails in from time to time, one hand making its way to her chinked ear. Weiss shifted a little bit to kiss the top of her head as she'd always done.

Blake purred harder, listening as Weiss' heart as it beat a little more quickly, a little more happily. When she spoke, Blake could feel the vibration of her voice in her chest.

"I missed you so much, Blake..."

"I missed you, too, Weiss..."

"You must've been scared, to come all the way here on your own. To leave home..."

It was difficult for Blake to pull herself away from the sound of Weiss' heart, but she pushed herself up, bracing her weight on the bed on either side of Weiss. Her eyes flicked down to those lovely pools of blue.

"Weiss... the second you left that mansion, it wasn't home anymore. Just like I never considered the old house I lived in to be my home. The shelter wasn't really home, either. If there's one thing I've learned in my life, it's that home isn't a place. It's a feeling."

For the first time, Blake did what Weiss had done for her so many times before. She leaned down and kissed her forehead.

"I've only ever felt at home when I'm with you. _You're_ my home, Weiss."

Emotion rolled through her in waves, and she could tell that Weiss was about to cry again. The girl sobbed, but smiled, pulling Blake down onto her once again, bumping their noses together.

"Then it's decided..." she whispered. "I'll be your forever home, Blake. You'll always be home here. With me... I love you, Blake. I love you with all my heart."

Blake whimpered into her shoulder, the sobs coming out amongst little bits of her purrs.

"I... I can hear it in your heart, Weiss. I can feel it in your arms. I can see it in your eyes. I'm with you and... and I know I'm _finally_ home... _I'm home_... _Thank you, Weiss_..."

At long last, the two souls who had bound themselves to one another through many years of love and promises had been reunited.

The three fairies who had guided them along the way soared into the air together, laughing and crying gleefully as the journey of a lifetime came to an end.

But that ending was actually a brand new beginning.

After all, they had the rest of their lives to spend together, now that they were home.

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 **A/N: At long last, their long, arduous journey is over. But at the same time, it's only just beginning! There will be a small epilogue, don't worry!**

 **If you like my work, you can support me on P-a-t-r-e-o-n as Kiria Alice!**

 **Please review!**


	11. Epilogue - Promises To Come

**I decided to add an epilogue to answer some final questions you guys are likely to be considering. I've also added in a scene the customer wanted to see, based off one of Dash's headcanons for the AU.**

 **If you like my work, you can support me on P-a-t-r-e-o-n as Kiria Alice!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.**

* * *

Epilogue. Promises To Come

Penny was woken that morning by a warm beam of sunlight splashing onto her face.

Sleepily, she blinked her eyes open, finding herself on the little bookshelf she'd chosen as her bed the night before.

Close beside her were Ruby and Yang. They didn't choose to live here at the college like Penny did, as they were still helping Glynda back at the animal shelter. But the day before, Penny had invited them over for tea, and the sisters had decided to stay the night.

Now, they all sat up and rubbed their tiny fists over their eyes and stretched their wings.

"Good morning!" Penny said to them. "Did you two sleep well?"

"Yep!" Ruby piped. "I think I've been sleeping better than ever for the past week or so!"

"Wonder why that is," Yang chuckled. "Can't have anything to do with _them_ , huh?" She inclined her head to the other side of the room, where a human bed was set up.

Beneath the blankets were two slumbering girls, their arms still wrapped loosely around one another.

All three of the fairies couldn't help but smile.

"I can't believe it!" Ruby sighed dreamily. "It's already been a week since they've been together! I'm so happy for them!"

"We did good, you guys," Yang said, patting both of their backs. "We did real good."

"I'll say," Penny agreed. "I'm just so happy for them. Even if they can't see us anymore, it doesn't mean any of us have to be sad! Seeing _them_ happy makes _us_ happy! And I have a feeling they're going to _keep_ being happy for a long, long time."

Ruby and Yang completely agreed.

As the trio of winged friends began on their daily activities of chasing dust bunnies and giggling together, the other side of the room was still a bit quiet.

Blake had only just started to regain consciousness after the long, peaceful night.

Cat or human, she'd never gotten out of the habit of choosing her favorite sleeping position to be cuddled up on top of Weiss. Even now, before she opened her eyes, she could feel Weiss' soft breathing, her body rising and falling gently, causing Blake's to follow.

Sighing in the utmost bliss, Blake shifted her head a little, turning her chinked ear a bit to press it in close over her collar, until she could detect the steady beat of Weiss' heart. It was her soothing lullaby each night, and her gentle alarm clock every morning.

Blake's mind was still a little fuzzy from sleep, but now she began to take note of everything.

It was Saturday, which meant neither of them would need to get up out of bed anytime soon. And even college classes hadn't been so terribly bad for the past week, not since they'd found one another.

Weiss, who had once been so taciturn and reclusive in her classes was now active in participation and diligent in her note-taking, so much so that her classmates were starting to flock to her and ask her questions for help.

Blake, too, was becoming well-liked in her classes, and she had introduced Weiss to Pyrrha and her other companions as well, which presently resulted in their small, tight-knit group of friends.

Blake would walk Weiss to her first 8AM class on Mondays and Wednesdays, then Weiss would wait until Blake's last class was over and walk her back.

And on the days when they had their shared class, they would hardly be able to keep away from one another. They'd go for lunch and dinner together, explore the campus, and simply have fun like college students were supposed to. And then when evening settled, they'd return to their room.

There was a peculiar story behind that as well.

The morning after Blake and Weiss had recognized one another, Weiss had received a notice that she was being relocated to another room.

Which just so happened to be the number of Blake's dorm.

Their joy and glee in that moment had been beyond compare, squealing and crying as they'd hugged one another and jumped up and down. Blake knew it was all thanks to the fairies' final little act of kindness to them, and that they must've pulled a few strings to make it happen.

And so now, here they were, sharing the same dorm room. Neither of the girls had minded that there was only one bed available, because they had already established how they preferred to sleep together by now. They'd decided almost ten years ago, really, and it was in a way that didn't require a very large mattress.

Now, Blake relished the feeling of the morning sunlight, Weiss' rhythmic heartbeat filling her mind. Blake unlocked her own purr and let it rumble, traveling up her stomach to her chest until she was certain Weiss could feel it.

A small sound from the back of Weiss' throat told Blake that she was about to wake. She snuggled up to her one last time before pulling away slightly, bracing her elbows on either side of Weiss so Blake may gaze down at her.

She watched as Weiss opened her beautiful eyes, her lashes fluttering like the wings of tiny fairies she once knew. They locked with the gaze of her soulmate, blue and gold coming together as it should.

The smiles were immediate on each of their faces as they took each other in for the first time that day.

"Good morning, Weiss."

Leaning down, Blake brushed their noses together, then kissed her cheek. Weiss looped her arms around Blake's shoulders and guided her down for more.

"Good morning, Blake."

Weiss could feel the purr in Blake's chest rumble harder every time she spoke her name. She pecked the other girl's cheek sweetly and nuzzled against her skin. Blake began peppering tiny kisses all over Weiss' face, neck, and shoulders, causing her to giggle.

It might have only been about a week since they'd found one another. But in the days since then, they had discovered some things - some _feelings_ \- and had decided how they wanted to do this.

Blake was entirely human now, with no traces left of her life as a cat, aside from her purr. Other than that, she was a perfectly normal girl, who had quickly developed feelings for Weiss.

They'd talked about it a few nights ago.

Blake had been scared about her love for Weiss changing. She feared losing her old affections for her and replacing them with these newer ones.

But Weiss had reassured her that wouldn't happen.

All that night, they had talked about how they loved one another.

They'd always known that, always shown it, always been able to prove it, even when their species divided them.

But now, they were dealing with the prospect of being _in_ love with one another.

And they couldn't see anything wrong with that.

They were both human, both the same age, and both in love.

Therefore, there was no need to hold back.

After all, childhood friends fell in love all the time. Their story was just a little more complicated, and magical, that's all.

Blake was still unsure of how to behave, though. Even in kissing Weiss, she could still only manage to do it lightly, and for very brief amounts of time.

And she had yet to kiss her lips yet.

Weiss was more than fine with waiting as long as it took for them both to adjust to their new lives. They'd be together until the end of them, after all.

So for now, they kept the kisses light and soft, trailing them all over one another's faces and necks, batting eyelashes to tickle the other's skin.

And of course, they knew each other's weak spots.

Blake started to gently knead her fingers onto Weiss' stomach, causing the girl to squeal and squirm.

"W-Why, you little-!"

"I'm not so little anymore!" Blake smirked.

But she'd forgotten that Weiss had an ace up her sleeve as well.

When she'd stopped laughing long enough, she reached up to curl her fingers around Blake's chinked ear and started to slowly massage it. In seconds, Blake had all but melted into a purring puddle of mush on top of her. From beneath, Weiss triumphantly puffed out her chest.

"That's what I thought."

Blake pouted, then hid her face into Weiss' shoulder, but she never complained about the massages.

About half an hour passed of them both taking turns spoiling one another, flipping over to cuddle in different positions, sharing small kisses and purrs. Only when Weiss started to feel how stiff her own hair was did she sit up straight.

"I've got to shower," she said. "My hair is a mess."

"A beautiful mess," Blake purred.

"You should have a look at yourself."

They got out of bed, and while Blake fixed the covers, Weiss headed to her drawers to retrieve some clothes. Weiss had showered a few days ago when Blake had been in class, but now she realized this would be the first time they would be apart from one another during their shared free time.

"I'll try to be quick," Weiss promised. "I wouldn't want you to get lonely."

"I'll be fine," Blake assured her. "But I guess I'll have to get used to staying outside of the bathroom when you shower from now on..."

Weiss froze in place with her clothes clutched to her chest.

 _That's right. As a cat, Blake would always follow me into the bathroom-_

Weiss whipped around to face her now, face cherry-red as she shrieked.

" _Blake!_ "

Weiss hurled her clothes at the other girl, smacking her right in the face.

Baffled, Blake toppled over onto the bed before her cat-like reflexes could even kick in.

"Wh-What?"

"You-!" Weiss didn't know whether to lock herself in the bathroom right away or to give Blake a good shaking first. "Y-You've-! You've seen me-!"

"Naked?" Blake guessed, pulling the clothes off her face. "Only for like... almost _every_ day for the past ten years, yeah."

Her devilish smirk was met with a horrified gasped.

Weiss stumbled back against the wall and dropped her face into her hands.

"I don't believe this..."

"Weiss..." Blake got up from the bed and went over to her, but Weiss swatted her away.

"Leave me be."

"Weiss, don't be like that." Blake slipped in beneath the girl's arm, offering a happy purr. "You're beautiful. Every inch of you."

"I... I can't believe you've seen me..."

"Naked?"

"Stop saying it!" she shrieked.

Blake chuckled smugly and pulled Weiss into her arms. "You're so cute."

Weiss grumbled something under her breath, miffed and humiliated.

Until another thought struck her.

She quickly pulled back, and was able to give Blake her own smug smile now.

"Come to think of it," she teased. "This past week is actually the first time in nearly eighteen years when you've even _worn_ clothes."

The smile was wiped off Blake's face more quickly than she could blink.

"B-But I had-"

"Fur? That's all very nice, but Blake, you've been naked your _entire life_ until last week."

"W-Wuh..."

Now it was Blake's face that turned red, and she swiftly turned away and dashed back to the bed, diving beneath the covers. Weiss giggled and followed suit.

"Oh, come now, Blake! You've always been adorable! Even _without_ clothes!"

"L-Leave me aloooone!"

And just like that, the neatly-made bed was thrown into shambles once again.

The two girls wrestled and tickled one another, laughing and squealing until the sounds filled the room and drifted around the entire building.

By the time they'd finished their playful tussling, both girls decided they needed showers, though Weiss claimed it first.

"Fine," Blake sighed, releasing Weiss from her arms. "But don't take too long."

"And why ever not?" Weiss inquired. She already knew the answer, but she wanted to hear it from Blake.

The dark-haired girl sat up in front of Weiss and hung her head shyly.

"Because... I'll miss you..."

Weiss' heart nearly burst out of her chest.

"Oh, come here, you precious, precious thing."

She wrapped Blake up in her arms all over again, kissing her head, her hair, and her chinked ear. Blake willingly snuggled into her chest, catching a few beats of Weiss' heart in the process.

When they parted, Weiss was quick to gather up her clothes again.

"I won't be long. I promise."

Blake felt better when she heard those two words. She smiled.

"Okay."

They'd made many promises to one another during their lives together.

Sometimes, they hadn't been able to understand each other.

And sometimes, they'd feared they might break those promises.

Sometimes, they'd made promises as small as finishing a shower quickly.

And sometimes, they'd made promises as huge as staying together for the rest of their lives.

They'd made all kinds of promises to one another, and there would surely be many more to come.

To this day, they hadn't failed to keep a single one of them.

Weiss kissed Blake atop the head, just as she'd always done before she took her leave, no matter where it was she'd be going.

And just as she'd always done, Blake watched her for as long as she could, until the sway of her ponytail was out of sight behind the bathroom door.

They had been together for almost eighteen years.

But this was only the beginning of the rest of their life.

Together.

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 **A/N: This fic took a long time to write and an even longer time to post, I know! But thank you all for your patience with the updates, and thanks for the support all the way through till the end! I hope you enjoyed reading!**

 **If you like my work, you can support me on P-a-t-r-e-o-n as Kiria Alice!**

 **Please review!**


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